Husband’s garden leads Chatham County woman to $150,000 digital instant win

Heather Jones of Bear Creek used inspiration from the peppers in her husband’s garden to win a $150,000 top prize playing Fire and Spice.“He grows all kind of peppers,” Jones explained. “I like playing that game because it reminds me of his garden.” In the digital instant game, a player can play from 50 cents to $30. She played $30 to win the $150,000 top prize. The odds of that win are 1 in 1 million. “I did a little dance,” Jones said recalling her winning moment. “I was spinning in circles.” Jones claimed her prize at lottery headquarters Friday in Raleigh. After required federal and state tax withholdings, she took home $107,633.She plans to use her winnings to pay some bills and pay her daughter’s college tuition. Digital instant games are played exclusively online on the lottery’s website or on the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Thirty-six different games are available to play online now. For details on how $4.4 million raised by the lottery made a difference for education programs in Chatham County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.