Friends chip in on $5 lottery ticket in North Carolina — and end up big winners

Three North Carolina men found themselves doing some quick math when they pooled pocket change for a $5 lottery ticket and came up big winners.

Mark Cockman, Jeffrey Jaeger, and Gary Selders say they forged an informal agreement to play the lottery together while socializing at the Greensboro Elks Lodge on West Cornwallis Drive in Greensboro.

It wasn’t revealed how many tickets the trio has purchased, but they finally came up winners on Wednesday, Jan. 17, according to the N.C. Education Lottery.

The prize: $158,535.

“We all looked at one another thinking, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” Cockman said in the release.

The men wasted no time collecting their winnings, showing up the next day at lottery headquarters in Raleigh with their 20X The Cash ticket, officials said.

“Cockman and Selders each claimed $52,317 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $37,407. Jaeger claimed $53,902 and took home $38,540 after taxes,” officials said.

It wasn’t revealed why Jaeger got the extra $1,585.

“Playing with other people just makes it more fun,” he said in the release. “It’s like camaraderie.”

The men said they planned to pay bills with the money.

The overall odds of winning in The 20X The Cash game are 1 in 4.32, the state says.

This story was originally published January 19, 2024 at 10:36 AM with the headline "Friends chip in on $5 lottery ticket in North Carolina — and end up big winners."