Ralph Brown of Wilmington said he had to ask himself if he was dreaming after his $1 Cash 5 ticket won a $537,757 jackpot in Saturday’s drawing.

“I only know I’m not still dreaming because I had to drive a couple hours to get here,” Brown laughed.

Brown, a 75-year-old retired postal worker, bought his lucky Quick Pick ticket from the Scotchman on South College Road in Wilmington.

“When I saw I won, I was ecstatic,” Brown said. “Just very, very happy.”

Brown arrived at lottery headquarters Monday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $381,862. He said he wants to pay off some bills with his prize money.

Cash 5 is one of four lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets through a retail location or 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.

Tuesday’s jackpot is $110,000. 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 $11.1 million raised by the lottery made a difference in New Hanover County in 2021, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.