Craig Cox of Mount Airy became the second winner of the $100,000 top prize in the Cash 5 Bonus Cash promotion after unknowingly entering into the promotion.

“Most of the time when I play Cash 5 I buy five tickets,” Cox said. “I guess this was a lucky break for me.”

Players who spend $5 or more on a single Carolina Cash 5 ticket in a retail location receive an entry into the drawing. Cox’s lucky break occurred last Monday in the second drawing for the promotion. Each drawing offers one prize of $100,000 and 40 prizes of $500.

Cox, a 59-year-old warehouse worker, purchased his Cash 5 ticket from Cupboard #2 on Old U.S. 601 in Mount Airy. He arrived at lottery headquarters Monday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,250.

“This is definitely going to help me,” he said.

Cox said he plans to use his winnings to do some home renovations.

The Cash 5 Bonus Cash Drawing promotion runs through Jan. 29. with one more drawing scheduled. The entry deadline for the last drawing will be this Sunday. The drawing is scheduled for Monday.

Cash 5 tickets are $1 and drawings are held every night. The odds of winning a Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 962,598. Monday’s jackpot is $331,000.

Ticket sales from draw games make it possible for the lottery to raise an average of $2.5 million a day for education. Last year, Surry County received $6 million, including a $1.7 million school construction grant, to support education programs in the county.