RALEIGH – Curtis G. Allred, who for years fixed cars at his auto repair shop in Randleman, is the owner of one of three lucky tickets that shared a half million dollar jackpot in the Dec. 23 Cash 5 drawing and he said he didn’t mind at all sharing his good luck with others.

“I didn’t cry about it,” Allred said of when he learned on Christmas Day that two other tickets also had the winning numbers. “I was glad everybody had a chance to win some money.”

Allred’s win came with one of three Cash 5 tickets he bought Friday. He was on his way home from dinner when something made him stop at the Ready Mart on North Main Street in Randleman, where he regularly buys his lottery tickets, to get one more chance to win the $543,837 jackpot. And it was that third ticket, a Quick Pick, that matched all five numbers in the drawing. The win gives Allred and his wife, Faye, a prize of $181,279. After taxes, he collected $123,270.

“My wife has been, for about six or seven months, wanting some new kitchen countertops and a new floor in the kitchen,” Allred said. “So we’ll probably get that done. This spring we’re going to put a new roof on the house. And the rest we’re going to let the bank keep for awhile. There’s going to be a lot of rainy weather down the road.”

A second winning ticket, purchased at the Wilco on Hickory Boulevard in Granite Falls, was owned by a group of five friends who play together. The owner of the third winning ticket, purchased at the MS Food Mart on West Friendly Avenue in Greensboro, has not yet claimed the prize. Winners have 180 days after the drawing to claim their prizes.

Allred said he enjoys playing the lottery, especially because the money it raises supports education programs in the state. “We’re just happy to be part of the Education Lottery system,” Allred said. “It’s a win-win situation. We’ve got a chance for better education for our young folks, teachers’ jobs. That’s a win-win for me.”

From March 30, 2006 through June 30, 2011, Randolph County education programs received more than $25.8 million in lottery funds. By law, these funds benefit specific programs, including teacher salaries in grades K-3, school construction and repair, prekindergarten programs and college scholarships and financial aid based on need. Lottery players in Randolph County have won $37.3 million in prizes during that same time period. To date, the N.C. Education Lottery has raised more than $2.1 billion for these initiatives statewide.