RALEIGH – Richard Mason, a retired fireman from Monroe, plans to use the $134,425 he won playing Carolina Cash 5 to pay bills and take a vacation. The numbers from his Quick Pick ticket matched all five numbers in the April 17 drawing.

Mason learned of his win by checking the numbers on the lottery’s website the morning after the drawing.

“It feels pretty nice to win,” Mason said. “I’m going to live a little more worry-free.”

After state and federal taxes were withheld, Mason received a check for $93,027. He purchased the lucky ticket, which beat odds of 1 in 575,757, at the Kangaroo Express on Lancaster Avenue in Monroe.

Mason was one of two players to split the $268,850 jackpot in the April 17 drawing. Derek Sappah of Wake Forest claimed his share of the jackpot on Monday.

Ticket sales have made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $3.19 billion for education programs statewide. Net proceeds are used for prekindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, teachers’ salaries in grades K-3, school construction, digital learning initiatives, need-based college scholarships and financial aid.

For details on how more than $66.7 million in lottery funds have made a difference in Union County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.