Lottery player’s routine leads to jackpot win in NC. ‘It doesn’t feel real’
A lottery player followed his routine — and it led to a huge jackpot win.
“Holy smokes, I just won $100,000,” Raymond Vail Jr. told the North Carolina Education Lottery in a July 31 news release.
Now, the lucky man hopes to treat his family to a cruise.
“It doesn’t feel real,” he told lottery officials.
Vail hit the jackpot after a stop at Fastrac Food Mart in the mountain town of Asheville. He often buys lottery tickets at the store, which is near his home in Alexander.
This time around, Vail tried his luck on the Carolina Cash 5 game. His ticket beat 1-in-962,598 odds to match all the numbers picked in the July 24 drawing, McClatchy News reported.
The jackpot winner kept $71,752 after taxes. In addition to planning for a cruise, he wants to put the prize money toward bills and a new pool.
It’s not the first time a lottery player’s routine has paid off. Another North Carolina man was “shaking” when he learned a ticket he bought at his usual store was worth $100,000, McClatchy News reported in March.
This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 9:30 AM with the headline "Lottery player’s routine leads to jackpot win in NC. ‘It doesn’t feel real’."
