With minutes left before Tuesday’s Cash 5 drawing, Marlene Hutchins of Greenville grabbed her phone, bought a ticket, fell asleep, and later woke up the house screaming when she won a $100,000 jackpot.
“It was 10:49 p.m. and I almost missed it,” she recalled.
Cash 5 tickets must be purchased before 11 p.m. to be eligible for the drawing. Hutchins bought her $1 ticket using Online Play on the NC Lottery App.
“It’s so much more convenient to play online,” she said. “I can do it from my living room or bedroom and it obviously works.”
It worked for Hutchins after she woke up in the middle of the night, checked her phone, and realized she won.
“I jumped up and started screaming,” she laughed. “I even woke up my kids.”
Hutchins arrived at lottery headquarters on Friday to claim her winnings and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $71,500. She said she still can barely process her big win.
“It’s like I’m going to wake up any minute,” Hutchins said. “It doesn’t even feel real.”
She said she plans to pay some bills and buy her daughter a car.
Cash 5 is one of six lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets at a retail location or with Online Play through the lottery’s website or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Friday’s jackpot is $110,000.
Login to leave a comment.