Barbara Gullatt of Raleigh used a combination of family birthdays to win her half of a $1.6 million Cash 5 jackpot.

The jackpot for the March 17 drawing totaled $1,648,320, making it the second highest jackpot ever in game history.

Gullatt stayed up to watch the drawing on Wednesday night and said it was “a blessing” to be one of two people to hit the jackpot.

She purchased her winning ticket from the M & H Express of Garner on West Garner Road in Garner.

The other winning ticket was purchased through Online Play. Both tickets matched all five white balls in Wednesday’s drawing.

Gullatt claimed her prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Thursday and took home $583,093 after required federal and state tax withholdings.

Carolina Cash 5 tickets are $1 and drawings are held every night. Friday’s jackpot is $110,000. The odds of winning a Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 962,598.

Cash 5 is one of four lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets through Online Play either through the lottery’s website or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.

Ticket sales from draw games such as Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million per year for education. For details on how $2.7 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Halifax County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.