RALEIGH – Gwendolyn Macopson of Shelby plans to use the $136,546 she won playing Carolina Cash 5 to pay bills and take a vacation. Her Quick Pick ticket matched all five numbers in the April 23 drawing.

“This feels really good,” Macopson said as she collected her prize on Thursday. “This makes me more comfortable.”

After state and federal taxes were withheld, Macopson received a check for $94,490. She purchased the lucky ticket, which beat odds of 1 in 575,757, at the East Side Kwik Mart on Lineberger Street in Shelby.

Ticket sales have made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $3.3 billion for the state. 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 $34.7 million in lottery funds have made a difference in Cleveland County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.