Dana Morgan of Beaufort County said the $123,752 jackpot that he won in Wednesday’s Cash 5 drawing will help him take care of his family and make them more secure financially.

“It’s a blessing,” said Morgan, a Pitt Community College technical assistant.

Morgan and his wife were visiting his mother in Fuquay-Varina on Wednesday when he stopped at the Food Lion on Broad Street and bought a Quick Pick ticket for that night’s drawing. He said he woke up about 12:30 a.m. Thursday, saw he had won the jackpot, and told his wife the good news.

“I was shocked,” Morgan said later that day as he claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. “We laughed about it and stayed up all night talking about it.”

After required federal and state tax withholdings, Morgan took home $87,555.

“I just want to take care of my family and live a happy life,” Morgan said. He currently is attending The University of North Carolina at Pembroke online to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management and said he hopes to go to law school and become an attorney.

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, through Online Play on the lottery’s website, or on the NC Lottery Official Mobile app.

Saturday’s Cash 5 jackpot is $133,000.

Ticket sales from draw games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million per year for education. For details on how $2.8 million raised by the lottery made a