James Williamson of Chadbourn and Christopher Pridgen of Whiteville share family ties, and now they’re sharing a $1,482,698 Cash 5 jackpot.
The in-laws decided to start playing together after they found out the last $1 million Cash 5 winners played as a family.
“I thought, ‘Hey. That’s a good strategy,’” said Pridgen, a hog farmer. “I texted James and asked him if he wanted to get tickets together once the jackpot was over $400,000. He agreed, and we each started chipping in ten bucks.”
On Wednesday, Williamson stopped at the Time Saver Food Mart on Washington Street in Whiteville and bought $20 worth of Cash 5 tickets.
The lumberyard equipment operator checked the tickets when he got to work the next morning.
“I looked at the tickets and was like, ‘Oh my! I think I got all the numbers,’” Williamson said.
He took a picture of the ticket and sent it to Pridgen to double check.
“It’s just surreal,” Pridgen said. “You see the numbers but you can’t believe what you’re seeing. It’s a complete feeling of shock.”
They claimed the jackpot Thursday afternoon at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, they split $1,049,010. Pridgen plans to start college funds for his two children. Williamson plans to invest the money.
“I always dreamed of winning,” Williamson said. “I never thought I actually would. It’s just incredible.”
The ticket matched all five numbers, beating odds of one in 962,598. Cash 5 is a statewide draw game that gives players the chance to win a jackpot every single night. Tickets cost $1 and players can buy tickets at most lottery retailers or through Online Play on the lottery’s website. This is the second time in two months that the jackpot has reached over $1 million. This is the second highest Cash 5 jackpot won in North Carolina.
Ticket sales from draw games like Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $650 million a year for education. For details on how $3.9 million in lottery funds made a difference in Columbus County last year, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.
Login to leave a comment.