Latest news with #TheLamp:DarkArts
Miami Herald
11-06-2025
- 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
10-06-2025
- 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Lottery player spends $5 — and scores a $912,000 jackpot prize in North Carolina
A lottery player spent $5 on a ticket — and hit the jackpot in North Carolina. On June 4, the player bought a ticket that scored the top prize in The Lamp: Dark Arts, the N.C. Education Lottery wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. The Lamp: Dark Arts is a progressive jackpot game that offers lottery tickets starting at 50 cents. The online game features a prize wheel and digital icons that players can match to win big, rules show. It turns out, the lucky player won the top-tier 'Alakazam' jackpot, making their ticket worth $912,326, lottery officials told McClatchy News via email. A spokesperson previously told McClatchy News the lottery can't pinpoint where players are when they buy their tickets for digital instant games. But lottery officials know the jackpot winner is from the Duplin County town of Warsaw, a roughly 70-mile drive southeast from Raleigh. As of about 10:45 a.m. June 5, no one had claimed the Warsaw prize. In North Carolina, the winners of digital instant games have about six months to cash in, officials said.
Miami Herald
04-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Lottery player's plan for nap is ruined by ‘jolt of excitement' from jackpot win
A North Carolina woman was ready to get rest when a 'jolt of excitement' ruined her plans. Samantha Spencer was shocked when she learned she won $158,426 in the N.C. Education Lottery. 'I was about to lay down for a nap but that made me jump up real quick,' she told lottery officials in a June 3 news release. Spencer hit the jackpot after she tried her luck on The Lamp: Dark Arts. She was drawn to the online game because of its appearance. 'My favorite color is green and the wheel in the game is green,' Spencer said. The Lamp: Dark Arts is a progressive jackpot game that features a prize wheel and digital icons players can match to win big. Spencer, who beat odds of 1 in 32 million, spent $1 on her ticket and scored the second-tier jackpot prize. 'I was pretty surprised,' said Spencer, who kept $113,671 after taxes. 'I didn't expect that.' The lucky winner is from Conover, in Catawba County and a roughly 45-mile drive northwest from Charlotte. She hopes to put her prize money toward bills and donate to cat rescue organizations. It's not the first time a huge prize made someone wake up. Another North Carolina lottery player was drinking his morning coffee when he realized his ticket was going to make him richer, McClatchy News reported in October.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Pretty Surprised': Conover woman wins $158k digital lottery prize
CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. () — A Conover woman won big on Thursday, according to the North Carolina Lottery Commission. Samantha Spencer was about to get some rest but ended up winning a $158,426 instant digital jackpot. 'I was about to lay down for a nap, but that made me jump up real quick,' she said, laughing. Spencer played for a dollar in The Lamp: Dark Arts and won the second level 'Cadabra' jackpot. The odds of this win were 1 in 32 million. 'I was pretty surprised,' she recollected. 'I didn't expect that.' Taste of Charlotte 2025: Your guide to Queen City's largest food festival Why did she pick this game? 'My favorite color is green, and the wheel in the game is green,' she said. On Monday, Spencer went to lottery headquarters to claim her prize, and after taxes, she walked away with $113,671. Spencer says she plans to use the money to pay bills and to support local cat rescues. In The Lamp: Dark Arts, players can wager from 50 cents to $30. After Specer's win, the game reset to $25,000. As of Tuesday morning, the game's top level, 'Alakazam,' jackpot sits at over $892,000. Digital instant games can only be played on the lottery's website or mobile app. Forty-six games are available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
