Avery County woman plans to use lottery winnings for Helene recovery

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Banner Elk woman says she’ll use part of her huge lottery win to help her Avery County neighbors who were impacted by Hurricane Helene. 

Tracy Bell won a $466,415 jackpot playing a digital instant game by the North Carolina Education Lottery. The Avery County woman said it was a no-brainer when it came to how she wanted to use the money. 

“Everyone around here has been through a lot lately,” she said. “I want to help some friends who lost a lot in the storm.”

On Wednesday, Gov. Josh Stein called the storm the costliest disaster in North Carolina history, saying it caused $60 billion in overall damages. The governor urged lawmakers to pass a $500 million recovery bill immediately, saying the money was needed to help individuals and businesses stay afloat. 

“The storm flooded western North Carolina, stealing too many lives from us and devastating too many communities,” Stein said. “But in the days, weeks and months that followed, I have seen, we have all seen that the state of our state is strong, North Carolina is strong.”

Bell played a $10 ticket on Sunday and won the top-level “Epic jackpot” in the Wheel of Bonuses game. The odds of that win are 1 in 3.1 million. Bell said she often plays digital lottery games when she has trouble sleeping at night. She couldn’t believe it when her phone said she was a winner. 

“It was pretty late, so I thought I was dreaming,” Bell said. 

After required state and federal taxes, Bell brought home $334,656. In addition to helping Helene recovery, Bell said she will consider buying a new car. 

The Wheel of Bonuses digital game offers entries from 50 cents to $30. After Bell’s win, the jackpot reset at $50,000 and had grown to over $104,000 as of Thursday morning. 

For the latest breaking news, weather and traffic alerts that impact you from WCNC Charlotte, download the WCNC Charlotte mobile app and enable push notifications.

Playing the lottery is a form of gambling. If you are concerned about your gambling or worried about a friend, you can call the NC Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-877-718-5543. You can also contact the National Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.