Birthday Surprise: NC Woman Waits Weeks to Claim $110K Lottery Prize

A Greensboro, North Carolina woman chose to make her birthday extra special by claiming a $110,000 lottery prize she had won weeks earlier. Janice Gibbs, the lucky winner, said she wanted to create a memorable moment for her celebration.

“I wanted this to be the big ta-da,” Gibbs shared with the N.C. Education Lottery. “I’m having a great birthday.”

Gibbs purchased her winning Carolina Cash 5 ticket for just $1 at the Fairway One Stop convenience store in Greensboro. The numbers, inspired by her family members’ birthdays, perfectly matched the ones drawn on Dec. 23. She realized she had hit the jackpot immediately after checking her ticket.

“I knew right away that I won,” Gibbs said. “It was an unexpected blessing.”

Despite knowing she had beat the 1-in-962,598 odds, Gibbs held off claiming her prize until mid-January, nearly a month later. After taxes, she took home $78,929, which she plans to spend on something special for herself.

Gibbs isn’t the only North Carolinian to hit it big around their birthday. Another winner, featured in May, called their prize an “early birthday present” and celebrated with plans to buy golf clubs.

For Gibbs, however, the timing made her win even more meaningful. “This was the perfect way to celebrate,” she said.

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