For Ernest Dodson of Greensboro, winning a $276,688 Cash 5 jackpot means he can pay off all of his bills and get a new big-screen TV.

“I’m tickled to death that I can be debt free,” Dodson said. “I’m going to pay off my car and my house. I’m also going to get a bigger TV so I can watch my favorite wrestling matches.”

The 70-year-old army veteran’s good luck happened Thursday when he stopped at Sons of Nie on Summit Avenue in Greensboro. He used his own numbers and bought a Cash 5 ticket for that night’s drawing. He checked the numbers the next morning.

“I about fell over,” Dodson said. “I saw that I got one, two, and then all of the numbers. I couldn’t believe it.”

Dodson claimed his prize Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $195,757.

Cash 5 is a statewide draw game that gives players the chance to win a jackpot every single night. Tickets cost $1 and players can buy tickets at most lottery retailers or through Online Play on the lottery’s website.

Ticket sales from draw games like Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have helped all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website. https://www.nclottery.com.