A man from Durham in North Carolina followed the advice of one of his friends to buy a ticket after a bowling game.

To the surprise of the lucky man, that advice brought him a six-figure jackpot prize.

The lottery player took a friend's advice to buy a lottery ticket

Earlier this week, the North Carolina Education Lottery uncovered details regarding the latest Cash 5 jackpot winner, a Durham resident named Dennis Whicker.

The fortunate man decided to try his luck and purchased a $1 Quick Pick ticket for the popular game from Blalock’s Convenience Store on Roxboro Road in Durham.

To the surprise and shock of the Durham resident, his ticket matched correctly all five numbers from a recent drawing for a sweet $246,222 payout.

Speaking to Lottery officials, the man recalled the moment he realized he had just won nearly $250,000, saying: "I kept looking at the numbers over and over again. I kept thinking, 'Is that right?'"

But the recent Cash 5 jackpot win didn't come out of nowhere.

This is because before buying the lottery ticket, Whicker was out bowling with a friend.

"I went bowling that day and had a real good day. My total score for three games was 777," the man recalled.

Seeing Whicker's score, his friend gave him life-changing advice to try his luck by purchasing a lottery ticket.

"I took my friend’s advice and went to go play. You’re not going to win anything if you don’t play," the fortunate man recalled.

Undoubtedly, this was Whicker's lucky day, considering the odds of winning the top prize from Cash 5 are 1 in 962,598.

He recently visited the Lottery headquarters to claim his prize.

Considering that state and federal taxes apply to lottery winnings, Whicker collected a sum of $176,665.

Asked about his plans for the jackpot win, the man responded that he will likely do some repairs to his home.

A range of prizes await Carolina Cash 5 players

North Carolina Education Lottery's Carolina Cash 5 game grants players a chance to win a range of prizes every night of the week.

The cost per ticket is $1 and players have a chance of winning a prize between $1 and a jackpot that starts at $100,000. The top jackpot prize continues to grow until won by a player.

Lottery players who pay an extra $1 for Cash 5's Double Play feature will see their numbers enter a second drawing which grants a chance for further prizes.

On the other hand, an EZ Match option for $1 per play grants players a chance to instantly win a prize of up to $500.

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