For Lareen Matthews of Charlotte, winning the $120,282 Cash 5 jackpot means she can give her five grandchildren a holiday they’ll never forget.

“Let’s just say they’re going to have a really good Christmas,” Matthews said.
She beat the odds of 1 in 749,398 to win Tuesday’s drawing.

Matthews, a programmer, found out she won when her husband called her at work.

“I thought something bad had happened at first,” she said. “It wasn’t until I checked the numbers on my phone that I finally believed him.”

Matthews claimed her prize Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $83,295.

She bought the $1 Quick Pick ticket at the Kangaroo Express on Harris Station Boulevard in Charlotte.

Ticket sales from games like Cash 5 made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million for the state last year. For details on how more than $352.6 million in lottery funds has made a difference in Mecklenburg County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.