Lola Allen of Fayetteville said she has been using the same lucky numbers ever since the lottery came to North Carolina, and her persistence paid off when a $1 Cash 5 ticket turned into a $264,419 win.

“From the very beginning I’ve been using the same numbers,” Allen said. “They are my favorite numbers so I stuck with them.”

Allen, a retired physical education teacher, bought her ticket from the Food Lion on Rosehill Road in Fayetteville. She said she has played Cash 5 regularly for years but she still never expected to win.

“When they all fell into place, I was in shock,” Allen said. “I was numb.”

Allen became one of three players to match all five numbers in Tuesday’s drawing so the $793,257 jackpot was split three ways. A second winning ticket also came from Cumberland County as a Spring Lake man claimed his share on Wednesday. The third winning ticket, which is unclaimed, came from the Stop & Go on Sweeten Creek Road in Asheville. The winner has 180 days to claim.

Allen arrived at lottery headquarters Thursday to collect her prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $187,764.

Cash 5 is one of four lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets at a retail store or through Online Play, either through the lottery’s website or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Cash 5 tickets are $1 and drawings are held every night. Friday’s drawing offers a $100,000 jackpot.

Ticket sales from draw games such as Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million a year for education. For details on how $21.9 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Cumberland County in 2020, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.