RALEIGH — Johnnie Biddix Jr., of Hendersonville, won a $436,796 Cash 5 jackpot on Monday after stopping to buy a ticket on his way to go fishing, N.C. Education Lottery officials said.
Biddix bought the $1 ticket at the Triangle Stop Food Store on Upward Road in Flat Rock. He matched all five white balls to win the jackpot, beating odds of one in 962,598.
Biddix claimed his prize Wednesday at state lottery headquarters. After federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $314,537.
When Biddix realized he had won, he called his daughter to share the news, but she was initially unconvinced.
“She said, ‘No you didn’t, no you didn’t,’” Biddix said. “I had to take her to lunch to prove it to her.”
Biddix said the major win came as a complete surprise.
“I’m shocked, to say the least,” Biddix said.
Biddix plans to use his lottery winnings to take his twin grandsons on a cruise vacation.