Pender County woman buys her first Fast Play ticket, wins $134,857

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Corinne Leontieff of Hampstead said she couldn’t believe that, on her first time playing a Fast Play game, she hit a $134,857 jackpot.

“I was in shock of course,” Leontieff said. “Still kind of in shock.”

Leontieff bought the lucky $10 Big Bucks Bingo ticket on Feb. 26 at the Hampstead Country Store on U.S. 17 South in Hampstead. She said she tried her luck after learning about Fast Play on her NC Lottery Official Mobile App.

“It was my first time playing,” Leontieff said. “It’s a blessing.”

Leontieff, 35, claimed her prize Thursday and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $95,765. She said she wants to pay some bills, invest some and save for her son’s future.

Fast Play’s rolling, progressive jackpot increases with every ticket sold until it is won. On Friday morning, the jackpot exceeded a half million dollars and was still growing. A $10 ticket, like Big Bucks Bingo, receives 100 percent of the jackpot amount. The odds of winning a Fast Play jackpot are 1 in 240,000.

Ticket sales from games like Fast Play make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education.