North Carolina Woman Scores Early Birthday Surprise With Huge Lottery Win

A North Carolina woman got the best early birthday present in the form of a huge lottery win .

Latonya Louden , of Pineville, was recently given a $5 scratch-off Power Cashword lottery ticket that her fiancé purchased from the B&M Food Service on Lancaster Highway, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery .

"I've never played that ticket before," she said. "He likes the crossword games."

The brand new ticket, combined with her birthday being just days away, must have brought her extra luck as she scratched off the ticket to discover she won $150,000, one of the top prizes in the game which launched in October, per lottery officials. Louden was in shock to see just how big her prize was.

"I was in disbelief," she said. "I've never won anything like this."

Louden claimed her prize at lottery headquarters on Wednesday (March 6), taking home a total of $107,251 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. According to lottery officials, she plans to use her winnings to celebrate her birthday and buy a car.

"I might get an SUV," she pondered. "Maybe an Audi or an Acura."

The Mecklenburg County woman isn't the only recent winner to land a massive prize around their birthday. Last month, a Raleigh man celebrated a jackpot win and collected his prize the day after his birthday .