When Benita Johnson of Asheville couldn’t visit a store to play her favorite game, Carolina Cash 5, she decided to buy her ticket through Online Play on the lottery’s website and ended up winning a $775,794 jackpot.
Johnson said she and her husband are staying at home during the coronavirus outbreak and saw on the lottery’s website that she could buy her Cash 5 tickets through Online Play. Eight days later, she bought a Quick Pick ticket for the Thursday, March 26 drawing and said it “worked out good.”
Johnson said she normally watches the drawing each night on her local TV station, WLOS, and thought the numbers called out that night sounded familiar. She checked the numbers four more times to confirm. Then, shortly after midnight, she got an email notification congratulating her on the win.
Winning the Cash 5 jackpot holds a special meaning to Johnson.
“My aunt and I were very close,” Johnson said, “I cared for her until she passed. The address on my aunt’s house was 326 and that’s the date I won. We always talked about winning the Cash 5. We talked about it all the time. So, I had a little sense of sadness, but grateful for the blessing.”
While the state’s Stay At Home order remains in effect, the lottery decided to lift the requirement that winners of prizes of $100,000 claim their prize in person. Since Johnson had an Online Play account, she had the choice of getting her prize money from an electronic funds transfer or by certified check. After federal and state tax withholdings, Johnson took home $548,874 and received her prize on Thursday.
Johnson says she plans to pay off her son’s vehicle, donate to her church and maybe build a new deck for her and her husband to enjoy. She also plans to share with “some family members that aren’t working right now.” Online Play allows lottery players to purchase tickets online for four draw games, Carolina Cash 5, Lucky For Life, Mega Millions, and Powerball. Friday’s Cash 5 jackpot is $331,000.
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