Jarrett Matthews of Benson is ringing in the New Year with a $132,981 Cash 5 jackpot.

“It’s going to be pretty hard for the rest of 2019 to live up to today,” Matthews said. “But here’s hoping.”

The customer service representative’s good fortune started on New Year’s Day when he stopped at the Short Stop on East Main Street in Benson and bought a Quick Pick Cash 5 ticket. Matthews found out he won the next morning when he used the lottery mobile app to scan his ticket.

“When I saw the confetti and it said to go to lottery headquarters, I couldn’t believe it,” Matthews said.

His ticket beat odds of one in 962,598 to win the jackpot. He claimed his jackpot Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $94,084. He plans to use some of the money to get a new TV and a new Xbox.

Cash 5 is a statewide draw game that gives players the chance to win a jackpot every single night. Tickets cost $1 and players can buy tickets at most lottery retailers or through Online Play on the lottery’s website.

The lottery mobile app allows players to scan their ticket and see if it’s a winner. Players can also use the app to enter tickets into the lottery’s Lucke- Rewards Players Club for extra chances to win.

Ticket sales from draw games like Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $650 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 “Impact” section of the lottery’s website. https://www.nclottery.com.