SAMPSON COUNTY – Clinton resident Michael Eaves decided to try his luck playing Cash 5 on Wednesday, a decision that led to a $331,792 jackpot win.
“It was my first time playing that game,” he said.
Eaves said he bought his Quick Pick ticket using Online Play on the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.
“I was just sitting there in my recliner that evening and I purchased the tickets using my smart phone,” Eaves recalled.
After checking his numbers the next morning, Eaves told his wife that he thought he won.
“I still wasn’t certain,” he said. “When I decided it was real, we began discussing how we were going to use the money.”
He said they talked about using the winnings to help with house and car payments as well as giving some money to charity and his church.
He arrived at lottery headquarters Friday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $236,404.
Cash 5 is one of six lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets through a retail location or with Online Play. The odds of winning a Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 962,598. Monday’s jackpot is $179,000.
