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‘Merry Christmas’: Woman wins $700K lottery prize, plans to donate money to church

Fremont, N.C.

A woman in North Carolina is getting a holiday bonus thanks to the lottery.

According to the North Carolina Education Lottery, Donna Denton recently hit a $700,000 jackpot on a $10 Triple 777 ticket.

Denton reportedly purchased the winning ticket at a Fremont Food Mart and checked it with her husband when they returned home.

“We had a very merry Christmas,” Denton said. “This made Christmas a little happier.”

Lottery officials said Denton arrived at lottery headquarters on Wednesday to collect her prize. After required state and federal tax withholdings, the lucky winner took home $497,073.

“We were happy anyway,” Denton said. “Now we’re happier; this is a blessing.”

Denton, a production assembler, said she plans to donate some of her winnings to her church.