NC Education Lottery Awards $100K to Lucky Winner

Michael Pepper from Wilmington, North Carolina, has a lot to be happy about. The man managed to scoop up the $100,000 jackpot payout from the Cash 5 lottery game, describing the opportunity as “surreal.”

The sum may not appear too large at first blush, but it is precisely what Pepper needed. He played a $1 Quick Pick ticket using the Online Play option on September 20 and secured all the winning numbers to scoop up the six-figure prize.

NC Education Lottery Minted Another Big Winner in September

His odds were 1 in 962,598, making it a doubly impressive feat. Of course, Pepper was humbled by his win and spoke soberly about playing the lottery. “You never really expect to win big, but there’s always that chance,” he remarked sagely.

There was also the customary dose of healthy skepticism: “I thought it was a scam at first,” Pepper said, but then I called my brother and said, “I guess I have won.”

Pepper has already claimed his reward  – opting for the lump sum as is the wont of most lottery winners. As a result, he is taking home $71,750, paying the customary federal and state taxes. He claimed the prize on September 25.

North Carolina has often made the news with its lottery winners. In August, a man in the state won $1,000,000, even though he thought his ticket was a misprint. Travis Wilhelm from Statesville claimed the award.

Another woman won $100,000 in August again, choosing to split her reward with his mother and posing for the photo-op with her.