RALEIGH – Herbert Abernethy, a retiree from Asheboro in Randolph County, played a combination of family birthdays and anniversaries to match all five numbers in the May 28 Cash 5 drawing, winning him $277,466.

“I like to pick my own numbers and get one Quick Pick ticket when I play,” Abernethy said. “This was a great return on my investment.”

Abernethy was at home when he saw his numbers come up while watching the morning news.

“I was so excited when I saw those numbers,” Abernethy said. “I went upstairs and woke up my wife. I thought she was going to faint.”

Abernethy plans to use his winnings, worth $188,677 after taxes, to make home repairs, maybe take a vacation and invest the rest. He purchased his winning ticket at the Ready Mart on Fayetteville Street in Asheboro. He split the May 28 $554,932 Cash 5 jackpot with Shawn Elder, a forklift operator from Charlotte.

“This puts us in good shape,” Abernethy said as he received his check. “I like to play Cash 5 because the chances are better. I’m living proof. Before this, I matched four numbers a few times. I feel good.”

The odds of matching all five numbers in a drawing are 1 in 575,757. Tonight’s jackpot stands at $434,000.

Since the lottery began through June 30, 2011, Randolph County education programs received more than $25.8 million in lottery funds. By law, those funds pay for teachers’ salaries in grades K-3, school construction, need-based college scholarships and prekindergarten programs.