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A man in North Carolina is celebrating an "important" lottery win that will help him support his son's continuing education.
Mark Richards, of Hickory, recently purchased a $1 Quick Pick Cash 5 ticket from the Total Convenience Market on U.S. 70 SW, a well-timed move as the store was one he told lottery officials he had "never been to before," according to a release by the NC Education Lottery.
The Catawba County man ended up matching all five numbers called during Friday's (March 21) drawing, beating the 1 in nearly 1 million odds to win the $320,722 jackpot prize. When he saw how much he won, he couldn't believe his luck.
"I checked and I checked and I checked," he said, laughing. "It was surreal."
Richards claimed his prize at lottery headquarters on Wednesday (March 26), taking home a grand total of $230,119 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. The lucky winner told lottery officials that the win came at the perfect time because it will help him pay for his son's college tuition
"This is very good timing for us," he said, adding. "This is important for our family. I guess it's just one of those things that can happen at anytime."