In what one could easily mistake for a late holiday miracle, Shelia Autry, a resident of Dallas in Gaston County, turned a modest $1 investment into a splurge-worthy $100,000 jackpot. Unlike the Silicon Valley unicorn stories we're bombarded with, this windfall comes from a more down-to-earth source: a Cash 5 lottery ticket.
Now, before you start rummaging through your drawers for that forgotten ticket, let's ponder the odds that graced Ms. Autry—a staggering 1 in 962,598. Indeed, her lucky numbers were drawn on a Wednesday, and, she claimed her winnings yesterday, according to the NC Lottery. Autry's life-altering purchase was made at the Dallas Mini Mart on East Trade Street, in Dallas, a place that's likely to see a spike in lottery ticket sales in the coming days.
After coming to terms with her newfound financial status, Autry took the pragmatic route and went to lottery headquarters to stake her claim. Following the government's share of taxes, she wasn't left with a pumpkin, but a solid golden carriage worth $71,753.
The North Carolina lottery scene, as it appears, is a buffet of games. Cash 5 being one of the six for which, lottery-goers can nab tickets either at the retail haunts they frequent, or virtually, which is a nod to our increasingly online existence. For the tech-savy, or those who simply can't be bothered to leave the comfort of their homes, there's the option to partake via Online Play on the lottery's official website or their mobile app. The jackpot for this coming Friday is a cool $110,000, and after Autry's win, the ticket sales might just see an uptick.
