It takes one to win
By Kate Northrop
With the tap of a finger, a North Carolina man won a $331,792 lottery jackpot playing Cash 5 for the very first time.
Clinton resident Michael Eaves felt like trying something new, and he's proving why it might take just one ticket to win after winning a $331,792 Cash 5 jackpot on his first try.
"It was my first time playing that game," he told the North Carolina Lottery.
On Wednesday, Eaves said he decided to pull up the Lottery's mobile app to buy a Quick Pick using Online Play.
"I was just sitting there in my recliner that evening, and I purchased the tickets using my smartphone," he recalled.
It wasn't until the next morning that Eaves learned he had won a Cash 5 jackpot worth over $330,000 right from the comfort of his home. He checked his numbers and told his wife that he thought he won.
"I still wasn't certain," the lucky winner admitted. "When I decided it was real, we began discussing how we were going to use the money."
A few options they're considering are using the prize money to pay off house and car payments, or possibly giving some of the money to charity and his local church.
On Friday, Eaves showed up at Lottery headquarters in Raleigh to collect his prize – not bad for his first time playing the game – and ended up taking home $236,404 after federal and state taxes.
According to the Lottery, Cash 5 is one of six lottery games in the state where players may buy their tickets either through Online Play or at a retail location.
The odds of winning the Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 962,598. Tickets cost $1 each. For an extra $1 per play, players may add the Double Play option to their ticket, which enters their numbers into a second drawing for a chance to win additional prizes. Players may also add the EZ Match feature for an extra $1 per play for a chance to instantly win up to $500.
The Cash 5 jackpot currently stands at $225,000 for the next drawing on Tues., Aug. 22. All winning numbers, prizes, and odds are published on Lottery Post's North Carolina Lottery Results page right after each drawing.
Beginner's luck.
Congratulations!!
Please don't blow up the winnings expecting a second win - maybe, maybe not 😁
To each their own. I'd pay off the house and car. Paying my house off 27 years earlier was well worth it. Flood insurance was ridiculous thanks to a VA requirement. That alone saved me $27K or so.
But anyway what an uplifting story...congratulations. Makes me want to complete the umpteenth update to play over the phone. Just prefer the computer but right now all purchases are in store only.
Life is good I tell you.