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A North Carolina woman is in shock after scoring a big prize in a recent lottery drawing.
Lola Allen, of Fayetteville, is one of three lucky players to hit the Cash 5 jackpot, with the the $793,257 prize split evenly between the winners. The retired physical education teacher has been playing the lottery ever since she came to North Carolina, always using the same numbers in the hopes that they would eventually bring her luck.
"From the very beginning I've been using the same numbers," said Allen. "They are my favorite numbers so I stuck with them."
According to a release from the NC Education Lottery, her luck finally arrived last week during Tuesday's (January 25) Cash 5 drawing when her ticket, purchased from the Food Lion on Rosehill Road, matched all five numbers in the drawing.
"When they all fell into place, I was in shock," she said. "I was numb."
Allen claimed her share of the prize, $264,419, at lottery headquarters on Thursday (January 27), taking home a total of $187,764 after state and federal taxes.
Two other players also purchased winning tickets for the drawing and get their share of the prize. Another Cumberland County resident, a man from Spring Lake, claimed his third on Wednesday while the third winner has yet to claim their prize. The third ticket was purchased at the Stop & Go on Sweeten Creek Road in Asheville. The winner has 180 days to claim the prize.