Christopher Bowman of Raleigh played his grandkids’ birthdays in Sunday’s Cash 5 drawing and won the jackpot of $212,415.

“We were just laughing because we could not believe it,” said Bowman. “We’re still pinching ourselves to make sure it is real.”

Bowman purchased his lucky ticket Friday from the Food Lion on Six Forks Road. He checked on Monday morning and saw his numbers matched all five numbers.

“Would you mind winning $200,000?” Bowman asked his wife after encouraging her to check the tickets.

His wife, Cindy, was in disbelief after seeing the matching numbers. “We’ve never seen a winning ticket before,” she said.

Bowman, 67, and his wife are traveling artists who showcase “American Indian” culture. Many of the shows have been canceled due to COVID 19. He said this win came as a “welcome surprise”.

Bowman claimed his prize Monday and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $150,836. The couple hopes to invest, pay bills, and “do some family stuff” with their winnings.

“Now we can go visit our grandkids,” said Cindy Bowman. “They are scattered all around the country.”

Cash 5 is one of four lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets at a retail store or 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 drawing offers a $100,000 jackpot. The odds of winning a Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 962,598.

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 $62.8 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Wake County in 2020, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.