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

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 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. 

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."

Cynthia Harris of Cary, North Carolina, won $736,874 on Monday morning while playing a digital game. (NC Education Lottery)

"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 inception. 

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.

Harris (not pictured) was shocked to see she had won the progressive jackpot after thinking she was playing the game in "demo" mode.  (iStock / iStock)

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.

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

NC Education Lottery officials said Harris bet $2 on the Bison Bonanza game. (iStock / iStock)

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

Fox News Digital reached out to Harris for further comment.