'I thought it was an April Fools’ joke': North Carolina man wins $120,000 lottery prize
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A North Carolina man won a $120,000 jackpot in Monday’s Cash 5 drawing four years after his father's death, according to North Carolina Lottery officials.
Thomas Workman said the game was a father-son tradition.
“My dad used to play them and, after he died, I told myself I’m going to keep playing them,” Workman said.
He said their mutual love of sports inspired the lucky numbers.
“It’s jersey numbers from some favorite players like Scottie Pippen and Shaquille O’Neal,” he said.
According to lottery officials, the 47-year-old maintenance worker bought his lucky $1 Cash 5 ticket from a grocery store in Winston-Salem. He matched all five white balls Monday night to win the jackpot.
“I thought it was an April Fools’ joke,” he said. “I was flipping out a little bit.”
Workman said he told his girlfriend many times that he would one day win the lottery.
“I truly believe in karma,” Workman said. “I just felt that one of these days, something like this would happen to me.”
Workman arrived at lottery headquarters Tuesday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $85,500.
He said he will use the winnings to pay off his car and look into buying a home with his girlfriend.
The odds of winning a Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 962,598.