A lucky lottery player in North Carolina was so excited after learning he hit the jackpot that he "probably woke the neighbors" screaming with joy.
Thomas Kemp, of Indian Trail, purchased a $1 Cash 5 ticket from the BP on Idlewild Road that matched all five numbers called during last Wednesday's (September 18) drawing to beat the 1 in nearly 1 million odds to win the $110,000 jackpot, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery. Like previous Cash 5 tickets he has bought, he used his family's birthdays to pick the numbers.
"I've been using them for a long time and it paid off," he said.
When Kemp checked his ticket the morning after the drawing and realized he scored the jackpot, he excitedly told his wife the news.
"I woke up my wife screaming, 'Get up, we won,'" he recalled, laughing. "I probably woke the neighbors too."
Kemp claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Monday (September 23), taking home a total of $78,653 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. According to lottery officials, he already has plans on what to use his jackpot win on, including paying bills, sharing some of the money with his children and potentially even taking a trip to California.
"I'm still shaking," he said. "It was an exciting moment."