Gordell Waller of Durham said he has been thinking about opening a seafood market for 30 years and he can finally make that happen after winning half of a $470,978 Cash 5 jackpot.

“I’m from the coast originally and I love seafood,” Waller said. “I’ve wanted to open up my own seafood market for years.”

Waller said he asked his wife to check the tickets the morning after Thursday’s Cash 5 drawing while he was at work. He got a call from his wife telling him to come home right away.

“She just screamed and screamed and screamed,” Waller said. “She hasn’t stopped yet.”

Waller bought his lucky ticket from the Bull Market on Guess Road in Durham using a set of numbers that he has been playing for the last eight years.

“I cried tears of joy,” Waller said. “I was elated.”

He claimed his prize Friday at lottery headquarters and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $167,222.

The second winning ticket in Thursday’s Cash 5 drawing was purchased at the Smoker’s Depot on South Tryon Street in Charlotte. The winner has 180 days from the drawing to claim the prize.

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. Cash 5 tickets are $1 and drawings are held every night. Monday’s jackpot is $152,000.

Ticket sales from draw games such as Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million a year for education. For details on how $12.8 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Durham County in 2020, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.