RALEIGH – A man from Winston-Salem claimed $304,672 and a woman from Greensboro claimed $130,642 on Monday after playing the N.C. Education Lottery’s Carolina Cash 5 game.

Winston-Salem resident Charles Ware Jr. plans to put the $304,672 prize he won playing Carolina Cash 5 towards retirement. Ware matched all five of his numbers in the Sept. 17 drawing to win the jackpot.

“I called the hotline and I heard my numbers,” he said. “I was at work, so I had to keep calm.”

Ware purchased his winning ticket at the Three Brothers By-Lo on Reynolda Road in Winston-Salem. After taxes, he took home a check for $207,179. The odds of matching all five white balls to win the Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 575,757.

“I feel good, man,” Ware said Monday as he claimed his prize at N.C. Education Lottery headquarters in Raleigh.

The second big winner, Carolyn Watlington of Greensboro, plans to pay off her mortgage after matching all five numbers in the Sept. 5 Carolina Cash 5 drawing and winning a $130,642 share of the jackpot. She was at work when she learned of her big win.

“I was ecstatic and so happy,” Watlington said.”I couldn’t believe it. I even told my dog that we won the lottery.”

Watlington collected a check for $88,836 after taxes. She purchased her winning ticket at the Kangaroo Express on Randleman Road in Greensboro.

“It’s a great feeling,” she added. “You just can’t imagine. It’s actually me this time, not somebody I’m reading about.”

From March 30, 2006 through June 30, 2010, Forsyth County players have won more than $89.6 million in lottery prizes and county retailers have earned more than $11.9 million in commissions on ticket sales. Guilford County players have won more than $146.7 million and retailers in the county have collected more than $18.5 million in commissions.

During the same time period, Forsyth County education programs have received more than $49.3 million in lottery funds. Guilford County education programs received more than $79.5 million for education programs. By law, those funds benefit teacher salaries, school construction, need-based college scholarships and prekindergarten programs. To date, the N.C. Education Lottery has raised more than $2 billion for the education initiatives it serves statewide.