A 70-year-old Army veteran found himself counting cash on Veterans Day, after he won more than a quarter of a million dollars in the North Carolina Education Lottery.
Ernest Dodson bought the Cash 5 ticket at Sons of Nie, an Asian market in Greensboro, and realized the next morning that it was worth $276,688, lottery officials announced on Veterans Day.
He paid $1 for the ticket.
"I about fell over," Dodson said in the release. "I'm tickled to death that I can be debt free."
Federal and state taxes whittled his winnings to $195,757, but the Greensboro resident says that's still enough to pay off his car and his house, with some left over for fun.
He's got a plan for that, too.
"I'm also going to get a bigger TV so I can watch my favorite wrestling matches," he said in a release.
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. Jackpots start at $100,000.
Ticket sales from draw games like Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education.
Better late, than never! Congrats on the big win!
Congrats to the Winner!
Nice payoff for a 5/43 game!
"I'm also going to get a bigger TV so I can watch my favorite wrestling matches,"
Between the WWE Network and Youtube, he can watch wrestling 24/7 for years.
And great story!
sounds like a good time to me
Congratulation to Ernest Dodson on his Win. I like his comment about being debt free. I LOL when he said he is getting a bigger TV to watch his favorite wrestling matches. This was a good story Todd. Mr Dodson is going to be talking about this Veteran Day for a while.
For just a Dollar investment, Dobson made out like a bandit.
Congrats to another North Carolina jackpot winner!
He was born in 1949. He would have been 20 years old when the Tet Offensive was launched in South Vietnam. He could have joined the military when he was 18 and been in that battle.
I am happy that he is alive and celebrating each and every day.
For what it's worth, the Tet Offensive began on January 30, 1968 right after Arm Forces Radio replayed Gen Westmoreland's speech to Congress.
Enjoy Ernest. and thank you for your service.