RALEIGH – John Adegbenjo of Lexington plans to use the $264,015 prize he won playing Carolina Cash 5 to pay off his student loans and purchase a new car.

Adegbenjo beat odds of 1 in 575,757 when his ticket matched all five numbers in the Jan. 24 drawing, claiming a third of that night’s $792,045 jackpot.

“I have won $2,000 before playing the lottery,” Adegbenjo said. “This was at least twice as surprising. I kept checking the ticket every four hours to make sure I didn’t dream it.”

After state and federal taxes were withheld, Adegbenjo received a check for $182,702. He said he also plans to use a portion of the winnings to make some investments. He purchased the lucky ticket at the Quik Chek on Old U.S. 52 North in Welcome.

“I just want to spend this money wisely,” Adegbenjo said as he collected his winnings on Friday. “To win like this is a big privilege.”

Two other tickets matched all five numbers in the Jan. 24 drawing. The first share of the jackpot was claimed on Tuesday by Charles Munday of Salisbury. The other share of the jackpot, which was claimed by Ryan Pleasants of Mooresville, came from a ticket sold at the Food Lion on North Main Street in Mooresville.

As of December 2013, the lottery has raised more than $3.19 billion to benefit education programs. Lottery dollars support teachers’ salaries in grades K-3, school construction and repair projects, prekindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, need-based college scholarships and financial aid and digital learning initiatives.

To see how more than $44.5 million in lottery dollars have made a difference in Davidson County, go to the Where the Money Goes webpage at http://www.nc-educationlottery.org/beneficiary.aspx.