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RALEIGH – For Amie Sears of Charlotte, a $5 scratch-off purchase will take her and her fiancée on a dream trip to Paris after she won $150,000.

“Since I was a little kid, I always wanted to go to Paris,” Sears said. “I think my mom instilled it in me.”

Sears, 46, bought her $5 Cashword Multiplier ticket from the Harris Teeter on Rea Road in Charlotte. She said the crossword scratch-offs are her favorite games.

“I like playing those because it’s entertainment for me,” she said. “It takes time to scratch every little letter.”

Sears said she used to read stories about other big winners in the lottery and became inspired.

“I always said, ‘Why wouldn’t I be able to win one, too,’” Sears said.

Sears collected her prize at lottery headquarters Monday and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $106,876.

Cashword Multiplier debuted in August with nine $150,000 prizes. Three $150,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how $61.8 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Mecklenburg County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.