Michael Pepper of Wilmington needed some time to let his big win sink in after he hit a $100,000 Cash 5 jackpot on Saturday.
“It was a surreal moment,” he recalled.
Pepper said he never thought he would actually win a big prize.
“You never really expect to win big, but there’s always that chance,” he said.
Pepper bought his lucky $1 Quick Pick ticket using Online Play. The odds of matching all five balls are 1 in 962,598.
“I thought it was fake at first,” Pepper laughed. “Then I texted my brother and said, ‘It looks like I’m a winner.’”
He claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $71,750.
Pepper plans to use his winnings to invest and buy a new computer.
Cash 5 is one of six lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying tickets at a retail location or with Online Play through the lottery’s website or the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Friday’s jackpot is $130,000.
The N.C. Education Lottery’s Play Smart™ program helps North Carolinians make the most of their lottery play. Visit ncplaysmart.com to learn about all things lottery, from tips on how odds work to how to enter bonus drawings.
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