Lance Spencer of Chester, S.C. said he looks forward to spending time with his family after a $1 Cash 5 ticket became a $178,158 jackpot dream come true.
“I’m going to make some good memories with my grandkids with this,” he said.
Spencer bought his Quick Pick ticket for Thursday’s Cash 5 drawing from QuikTrip on Sandy Porter Road in Charlotte. He said he works nights as a driver and bought the ticket on his way to work.
“I was just driving around that night thinking about what it would be like to win,” he said. “I just had a dollar and a dream.”
Later that night, he looked up the results of the drawing.
“I checked the jackpot amount first and saw someone hit it because it was back to $100,000,” Spencer recalled. “Then I checked my ticket and smiled. It was awesome.”
Spencer arrived at lottery headquarters Monday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $126,938.
He said he will use the winnings to do some projects around the house, go on a vacation with his grandchildren, and put the rest in savings.
Cash 5 is one of six 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. The odds of winning a Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 962,598. Tuesday’s jackpot is $172,000.
The N.C. Education Lottery’s Play Smart™ program educates and empowers North Carolinians to make smart decisions when they play the lottery. March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month and the lottery highlights Play Smart to help ensure when North Carolinians play the lottery it doesn’t become more than a game. Visit nclottery.com/PlaySmart to learn how the Play Smart program helps someone create a game plan to keep lottery play fun. If you or someone you know needs support, visit morethanagame.nc.gov/ for free, confidential help.
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