Mark Russell of Waxhaw is celebrating after he won a $795,578 Cash 5 jackpot.

“It’s going to be a big Christmas,” Russell said. “My second grandbaby is coming and now this.”

Russell bought the $1 Quick Pick ticket at the Harris Teeter on Kensington Drive in Waxhaw. He beat odds of 1 in 749,398 to match all five numbers in the Dec. 2 drawing.

The mental health technician found out he won the next morning when he stopped to get gas.

“When the clerk looked at the ticket and told me, I couldn’t believe it,” Russell said. “This is a blessing!”

Russell claimed his prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $552,934. He plans to spend some of the money on his grandkids.

Ticket sales from draw games like Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.