‘Stunned’ lottery player ‘scared the cat’ with his hollering. He won huge NC jackpot
A lottery player hit the jackpot — and couldn’t contain himself over the huge prize.
“He was hollering so much it scared the cat,” winner David Atwell’s wife, Cherie, told the North Carolina Education Lottery.
Atwell said he was “stunned” to win $837,187 after he tried his luck on the Cash 5 rolling jackpot game. He bought his winning ticket at Jiffy Quik in Kannapolis, a roughly 30-mile drive northeast from Charlotte.
It turns out, Atwell’s $1 ticket matched all five numbers picked in the April 27 drawing. That means he beat 1-in-962,598 odds to score the game’s top prize, McClatchy News previously reported.
“At first I saw the jackpot went back down to $100,000 so I knew someone hit it,” Atwell told lottery officials in an April 30 news release. “I had no idea it was me.”
Though the win left Atwell in shock, his sister had foreshadowed it.
“In her dream I found a bunch of gold,” he said. “I guess dreams do come true.”
Atwell, who is from Cabarrus County, kept $598,591 after taxes. Now, he hopes to pay bills and donate to his church.
“My family always said I was the luckiest one in the family,” Atwell told lottery officials.
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
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