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Woman wins ultimate jackpot thanks to $2 bet on what she thought was a 'demo' game

A North Carolina woman won more than $700,000 on an instant win game. The Cary resident said she originally thought the game was in "demo mode" and feels "blessed."

A North Carolina woman is more than half-a-million-dollars richer thanks to a decision to bet $2 on a digital game. 

Cynthis Harris of Cary, North Carolina, was playing Bison Bonanza, an instant win game, on Monday, May 13 when she won the ultimate jackpot. 

Harris bet $2 and won the top-level progressive jackpot, which meant she hit a $736,874 prize, the NC Education Lottery reported. 

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The woman, whose odds of winning the jackpot were one in 15.5 million, said she thought she was playing the game in "demo mode."

"I was like, 'Wait how did this just happen,'" she told the NC Education Lottery. 

It was reported that Bison Bonanza started offering digital instant games in November 2023 and that this was the largest digital instant win since its start. 

VIRGINIA WOMAN WINS LOTTERY JACKPOT WITH FIRST-EVER TICKET PURCHASE

Harris, who collected her money at lottery headquarters in Raleigh, said the win had her feeling "blessed."

With required federal and state taxes withheld, Harris walked away with $526,866.

She told NC Education Lottery that she plans on using the winnings to take care of her mother. 

The Bison Bonanza game accepts bets between 50 cents and $30, but the jackpot reset after Harris won the maximum amount earlier this week.

The jackpot started over again at $50,000, but the amount rose to more than $120,000 at the time of publication.

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Bison Bonanza, along with 20 other digital games, can be played on the lottery’s website or on the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.

Players must be located in North Carolina to purchase the state's lottery tickets or play its lottery games, per the NC Education Lottery.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Harris for further comment.

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