Burke County Teacher And Coach Nets $100,000 Scratch-Off Win

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. (News Release) — Nancy Kelly of Hickory and her husband, Dean, work together, coach together, play the lottery together, and now get to say theyโ€™ve won $100,000 together.

Nancy, an East Burke Middle School PE teacher and volleyball and basketball coach, said it was a normal day at the Kelly household.

โ€œWe just worked,โ€ Nancy recalled. โ€œMy husband went down to pick up some things at the store and bought one ticket. We got home, I was making dinner and we were watching Wheel of Fortune when I decided to scratch it off and there it was.โ€

The lone $150 Million Cash Explosion ticket was from The Ole Store on Burke Street in Rhodhiss and Dean only bought it because he noticed a sign there about a lottery winner.

โ€œHe picks them out and I scratch them,โ€ said Nancy.

โ€œSheโ€™s always been lucky,โ€ added Dean. โ€œThatโ€™s why I donโ€™t mind that she scratches.โ€

When Nancy started screaming, โ€œwe won!โ€ Dean said he knew โ€œsomething good was going on.โ€

Nancyโ€™s good luck started earlier in the week when she won $100 off of a scratch-off ticket the day before her big win on Tuesday.

โ€œEvery now and then, if I get a feeling, I pick up a ticket,โ€ she said.

The Kellys claimed their prize Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required federal and state tax withholdings, they took home $70,756. They donโ€™t know what theyโ€™ll do with their big win just yet, but Dean says heโ€™s always wanted to go to California to watch his favorite sports teams play and would love to do it with their two sons.

The $20 game launched in October 2018 with four $4 million top prizes, six $1 million prizes, and 10 $100,000 prizes. Two $4 million top prizes, one $1 million prize, and three $100,000 prizes remain to be won.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million per year for education. For details on how $5.2 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Burke County in 2019, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the โ€œImpactโ€ section.