Birthday numbers score Statesville woman jackpot of more than $300,000

STATESVILLE, N.C. — Susan Gray of Statesville said she accidently bought two tickets for Saturday’s Cash 5 drawing and won the entire $305,046 jackpot.

“Those are numbers I’ve been using for years,” she said. “My birthday.”

Gray purchased two tickets, using the same set of numbers, for Saturday’s drawing from the Kangaroo Express on Safriet Road in Statesville.

“I thought it was a different draw,” Gray said, explaining why she purchased two tickets with the same numbers. “It was really an accident that I played both. I was really shocked. I couldn’t believe it.”

Gray’s purchase paid off when she claimed her prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required federal and state tax withholdings, she took home $215,826.

Carolina Cash 5 tickets are $1 and drawings are held every night. The odds of winning a Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 962,598.

(WATCH BELOW: Family returns winning lottery ticket to customer who threw it out)

Family returns winning lottery ticket to customer who threw it out (NCD)

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