Latest news with #MarcellaHooker
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Woman with injured leg was running seconds after winning huge NC lottery jackpot
The North Carolina Education lottery performed something of a miracle when a woman with an injured leg suddenly began running just seconds after learning she won a six-figure prize. Marcella Hooker of Duplin County says her trouble walking is due to a recent leg injury, but that disability was quickly forgotten soon after she invested $5 in an digital online game called The Lamp: Dark Arts. She won the 'Alakazam' jackpot, which was worth $912,326.40, lottery officials said in a news release. 'After I saw that I took off running and screaming,' Hooker told lottery officials. 'I was screaming so much it woke up the kids and grandkids.' Odds of winning the 'Alakazam' prize are 1 in 12.9 million, lottery officials said. Hooker traveled from her home in Warsaw about 70 miles northwest to the lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Monday, June 9, to get her prize. It came to $654,596 after state and federal withholdings, officials said. 'Now we can pay off the house,' Hooker told lottery officials. Then, she'll go shopping for a new car, she said. Online plays in The Lamp: Dark Arts range from 50 cents to $30. After Hooker won, the game restarted with a $100,000 jackpot that will keep growing until someone else wins.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Duplin County grandmother wins $912K jackpot
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCT) — A Duplin County grandmother won a $912,326 digital instant jackpot. According to a press release, Marcella Hooker of Warsaw, 'played for $5 and won the top level 'Alakazam' jackpot in The Lamp: Dark Arts, a digital instant game featuring a progressive jackpot that can be won at any time. The odds of that win are 1 in 12.9 million.' 'I actually have had trouble walking lately because of an injury, but after I saw that I took off running and screaming,' said Hooker. Hooker claimed her prize Monday, June 9th at lottery headquarters and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $654,596. 'Now we can pay off the house,' Hooker said. 'This is a blessing.' Visit for more information about winnings and digital instant games. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
