Dad Visiting Daughter in North Carolina Wins $400K Lottery Jackpot

A routine visit to see his daughter in North Carolina turned extraordinary for one father after a casual lottery ticket delivered a $400,000 jackpot.

The Pennsylvania man was visiting his daughter in the state when he decided to try his luck at Cash 5, a popular lottery game. Just like that, he ended up winning the jackpot of $410,432, an arguably life-altering amount.

He picked the ticket from the Pick & Go store on his way to Rural Hall, but only claimed the award recently. The original win actually took place on January 5, 2026. 

It Took the Winner Several Months to Come Back and Claim the Prize 

The winner, identified as one Stanley Konat, defied some pretty long odds, securing the payout at 1 in 962,598 chances, and also choosing to claim the lump sum in one go. 

Following payment of local and state taxes, Konat is taking home $295,553, a still very respectable amount. The jackpot was claimed on March 9 at the North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters in Raleigh. 

Konat matched all five numbers after purchasing the ticket and using the Quick Pick option to randomly select the numbers for him, as follows: 1, 19, 24, 26, and 39.