Vernon and Chanthy Thav of Monroe say winning a $313,717 Cash 5 jackpot means their dream of a trip to Cambodia to see family again can come true.

Vernon Thav said a main goal of the trip will be to visit his 82-year-old mother.

“We haven’t been able to see her in a long time,” he said. “We have two young children and we didn’t know how we could afford it. But now we can all go`. It’s a dream come true. I must have an angel watching over me.”

The couple won Tuesday’s Cash 5 jackpot with a Quick Pick ticket purchased at the Circle K on U.S. 74 in Monroe. The ticket beat odds of 1 in 962,598.

Vernon Thav said he discovered the win when he stopped by the store Wednesday morning to buy water.

“When the clerk said someone from Monroe won, I checked the ticket,” Vernon said. “When I saw the matching numbers, I raced out of the store to tell my wife.”

“I thought he was joking,” Chanthy added. “That’s a lot of money.”

The couple drove to lottery headquarters in Raleigh to claim their prize Wednesday afternoon. After state and federal tax withholdings, they took home $221,955.

Cash 5 is a statewide draw game that gives players the chance to win a jackpot every single night. Tickets cost $1 and can be purchased at most lottery retailers or through Online Play on the lottery’s website. Jackpots start at $100,000. The Thursday jackpot is $110,000.

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 $16.6 million in lottery funds made a difference in Union County last year, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website. https://www.nclottery.com.