ALEXANDER COUNTY, N.C. — An Alexander County man won the $230,724 jackpot in Wednesday’s drawing.
Michael Mawhorter of Taylorsville said he had been playing the lottery since he moved to North Carolina.
Mawhorter works as a machine operator at a paper mill, and said he bought a few Cash 5 tickets on his way into work.
He said he played his favorite numbers on a few of the tickets and also added a couple of Quick Pick tickets.
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"I work the night shift, so I was at work when I found out,” said Mawhorter. “I walked to my car for my break, checked the numbers and there they were. I was shaking. I just couldn’t stop shaking.”
One of his tickets matched all five white balls, leading Mawhorter to win the jackpot prize. He beat the odds of 1 in 962,598.
Mawhorter shared the news with his wife and said she couldn’t believe it.
“I never thought I’d actually hit it, to be honest,” Mawhorter said. “It definitely helps out.”
He said he plans to get caught up on his bills, and put some money away for a vacation and then for retirement.
Mawhorter claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh Thursday, and took home $163,241 after federal and state taxes.
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