North Carolina grandmother wins $535K jackpot with $1 ticket

• Days before her birthday, a Fayetteville grandmother won $535K jackpot from the North Carolina Lottery's Cash 5 game
• The winner plans to share the money with her children and set some aside for an education fund for her great-grandchildren
• Cash 5 costs $1 per play and grants players a chance to win a range of prizes daily, including a growing jackpot

A lucky grandmother beat the odds of 1 in 1m to take home a six-figure jackpot after purchasing a $1 ticket.

That's the case for a Fayetteville, North Carolina, woman who scored a jackpot from the popular game, Cash 5.

The jackpot win came two days before the player's birthday

While confirmation about the win came to light earlier this week, the fortunate woman entered Cash 5's drawing on December 9, 2025.

She purchased her $1 ticket using Online Play and, to her surprise and shock, won the game's jackpot.

Beating the odds of 1 in 962,598 to match all five white balls, the incredibly lucky woman scored the $534,619 Cash 5 jackpot at the time.

Interestingly enough, when speaking to an official from the North Carolina Education Lottery, the Fayetteville woman said that the win came at the perfect moment.

"I won it two days before my birthday," the fortunate winner explained.

The woman who scored the jackpot added: "I told my special people on Christmas and they were all excited."

On Monday, the Fayetteville resident visited the Lottery's headquarters located in Raleigh to claim her big win.

After the applicable state and federal taxes, the lucky woman's bank account increased by nearly $385,000.

When asked about her plans for the newfound fortune, the winner said: "I’m going to give some to my children and open an education fund for my great-grandchildren."

The cost for Cash 5 is only $1

As a rolling jackpot game, Carolina Cash 5 offers players a chance to win every night of the week with a price per ticket of only $1.

The game is one out of six such games available to players in North Carolina.

To participate in those lottery games, players can purchase their tickets via retail outlets, online at the Lottery's official website, or via the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.

The game's latest drawing saw winning numbers 1, 19, 24, 26 and 39 drawn, with a single ticket matching all of them to win the jackpot of $410,432.

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