RALEIGH – John Walker of Gastonia matched all five numbers in the April 16 Carolina Cash 5 drawing to win $377,241, half of that night’s $754,482 jackpot.

Walker purchased the lucky Quick Pick ticket, which beat odds of 1 in 575,757, at Kingsway on Chapel Grove School Road in Gastonia. After state and federal taxes were withheld, he collected a check for $261,239.

Walker had one of two tickets that matched all five numbers in the April 16 drawing. The second $377,241 prize was claimed Friday by Michael Scarlett of Lexington.

The jackpot for the Monday, April 20 Cash 5 drawing is $127,000.

Ticket sales made it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion for the state last year. North Carolina Education Lottery net 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 $76 million in lottery funds have made a difference in Gaston County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.