The excitement of just having won a $330,018 Cash 5 jackpot made for a sleepless night for Brian Reece of Charlotte.
At about 11 p.m. Tuesday night, he checked the lottery’s website on his phone to get results from Monday’s drawing and see if he won. He had. He spent the rest of the night excited about the win and preparing to drive to Raleigh to claim his prize on Wednesday.
“It still hasn’t sunk in,” said Reece. “It’s just not an every day occurrence.”
Reece bought his Cash 5 ticket at the Food Lion on Blair Road in Mint Hill. He said that when he plays draw games, he rotates four sets of five numbers and sometimes wins small amounts using that rotation.
“I’ve been playing this set of numbers for three months now,” he said. “I stayed consistent with it.”
The win means no more car payments, no more house payments and more money in the bank for the Uber driver.
“I’m glad I got it at this point in my life,” he said. “I understand the value of sticking it in the bank and giving myself some security.”
Reece beat odds of one in 962,598. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $233,488.
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. Thursday’s jackpot stands at $120,000.
Ticket sales from draw games like Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have helped all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.