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Dream family home now a reality after North Carolina man wins $1.1M

An early birthday present!

Robbins Friendly Mart, located at 13028 NC-24 #27 in Robbins.
Robbins Friendly Mart, located at 13028 NC-24 #27 in Robbins, where the $1.1 million jackpot-winning Cash 5 ticket was sold. Photograph credit to Google Maps.
Todd Betzold

A North Carolina man made a promise to his wife years ago, and after hitting it big in the North Carolina Lottery last night, he can now make that promise a reality!

Carolina Cash 5 jackpot winner

Years ago, Terrell Bethea of West End told his wife she deserved to have a house. After winning the $1.1 million jackpot on Monday, August 5, in the Carolina Cash 5 drawing, he is finally able to give her that home.

Bethea told lottery officials, “Now I can get my family the house they deserve.”

The winning numbers for last night's drawing were 5, 6, 7, 9, and 23. Bethea purchased the winning ticket at Robbins Friendly Mart, located at 13028 NC-24 #27 in Robbins.

He matched all five of the winning numbers to take home the $1.1 million jackpot for the night. The odds of matching all five balls in Cash 5 are 1 in 962,598.

Emotional reactions

Bethea wasted no time claiming his big prize, as he made his way to lottery headquarters today to get his winnings. He told officials that he and his wife were both emotional after finding out the good news.

Bethea said, “She fell to her knees and broke down crying.”

The big jackpot win happened to come right before Bethea's 36th birthday. He told officials, “This happened two days before my birthday. Isn't that wild?”

Now that he has the money in hand, there are definitely going to be some birthday celebrations.

After the required federal and state tax withholdings, Bethea took home $811,106. He said, “This means more to me than you can possibly imagine.”

Congratulations to Bethea and his family on the big win and the soon-to-be new home!

Another North Carolina Lottery millionaire

Another big winner headed to lottery headquarters today in North Carolina, as Mary Young of Lincolnton had a $1 million prize to claim!

Young tried her luck on a $50 scratch-off ticket and ended up winning a $1 million prize. The ticket was $10 Million Spectacular, and she purchased the lucky ticket from Silver Express, located at 507-6 East King Street in Kings Mountain.

While Young was excited for the big win, she did have an even bigger decision to make once she made it to lottery headquarters. The winning prize could be paid out as an annuity of $50,000 a year for 20 years or a one-time lump sum payment of $600,000.

Young opted for the lump sum payment of $600,000, which after required state and federal tax withholdings worked out to be $429,014. Which option would you choose?

The $10 Million Spectacular debuted in December 2023 for the North Carolina Lottery and included five top prizes of $10 million, 20 prizes of $1 million, and 20 prizes of $100,000. After Young claimed her prize, lottery officials said they still had three $10 million prizes, eight $1 million prizes, and nine $100,000 prizes remaining to be claimed.

Enjoy playing the North Carolina Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.

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