RALEIGH – Mary Quinn, a retiree from Holly Springs in Wake County, has played the same Carolina Cash 5 numbers, her birthday and her husband’s, since the game began. That persistence paid off when her numbers came up in Tuesday’s drawing, winning the $126,958 jackpot.

“We watch the drawing almost every night,” Quinn said. “I saw that we had three numbers, then a fourth. Then all of a sudden up comes the fifth one. I've always thought that Cash 5 gives you a better chance to win, but I still can't believe it.”

Quinn, who said she previously won $500 playing Carolina Pick 3, received a check for $86,331 after taxes were withheld. She said she would use her winnings to supplement her retirement. She purchased her winning ticket at the Harris Teeter on Village Walk Drive in Holly Springs.

"It's going to be a while before I stop smiling," Quinn said as she held her check for the first time. "I am just thrilled."

Quinn was the second Wake County resident to claim a jackpot in the Cash 5 game this week. On Tuesday, Amitkumar Kharva of Cary claimed a $193,833 jackpot from the Jan. 11 drawing.

Through June 30, 2011, Wake County education programs received more than $145 million in lottery funds. By law, those funds pay for teachers’ salaries in grades K-3, school construction, college scholarships and financial aid based on need, and prekindergarten programs. Players in Wake County have won more than $277 million in prizes as of June 30, 2011.

To date, the N.C. Education Lottery has raised more than $2.1 billion for these initiatives statewide.