RALEIGH – James Latta of Durham said beating the odds to win a $289,451 Carolina Cash 5 jackpot feels like an “out-of-body experience.”

Latta used his own set of lucky numbers to become the only winner of Sunday’s jackpot with a ticket he purchased at the East Campus Family Fare on Broad Street in Durham. The odds of winning a Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 575,757.

“I’m having an out-of-body experience,” Latta said Tuesday as he collected his winnings. “It feels surreal.”

After the required federal and state withholdings, Latta received a check for $200,300. He said he planned to pay bills and support his family. “The main thing is being better able to take care of my family,” he said.

Ticket sales have made it possible for the Education Lottery to raise more than half a billion a year for education programs in North Carolina. Lottery proceeds will be used this year to help pay salaries of teachers and teacher assistants, for pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, school construction and repair, and need-based college scholarships and financial aid.

For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in Durham County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.