With four extra dollars in his hand, Christopher Bailey of Broadway bought four $1 tickets in Tuesday’s Cash 5 drawing and woke up the next day to find out he had won the $289,005 jackpot.
Bailey said he bought the Quick Pick tickets on a whim as he picked up other lottery tickets at the Pantry Shop on Buffalo Lake Road in Sanford.
“I guess it was just meant to be,” said Bailey, a truck equipment and maintenance supervisor, Friday as he collected his prize.
Bailey said he checked his tickets Wednesday morning as he started off to work and then called his wife, read the numbers to her, and asked her to confirm the win.
“You know it still hasn’t sunk in yet,” Bailey said. “I’m excited and happy.”
After required federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $204,471. He said he planned to use the money to pay bills and make investments.
Carolina Cash 5 tickets are $1 and drawings are held every night. Friday’s jackpot is $110,000.
Ticket sales from draw games like Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 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.