High Point man wins $924,022 Cash 5 jackpot on $1 ticket

A High Point man woke up a lot richer after turning a $1 online Cash 5 Quick Pick into a $924,022 jackpot. Christopher Kern Sr. claimed the prize Friday at North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters in Raleigh, and after required federal and state tax withholding, he took home $665,396.

The size of the win puts the odds in sharp perspective. Matching all five numbers in North Carolina Cash 5 is listed at 1 in 962,598, which makes Kern’s ticket a long-shot hit even in a game built around daily drawings and rolling jackpots. Cash 5 tickets start at $1, and the game can be played online as well as at retail locations.

The lottery says Cash 5 is a daily rolling jackpot game, with jackpots starting at $100,000. That means the top prize can grow when it goes unclaimed, but the threshold for a meaningful win is already high before the numbers are ever drawn. Kern’s ticket was bought online on May 9, and the claim moved quickly because prizes of $100,000 or more must be handled in person at headquarters in Raleigh.

The tax hit was sizable. Using the published prize and take-home figures, about $258,626 went to withholding, or roughly 28% of the jackpot before Kern saw the money in his account. That is part of the reality behind a headline-sized win: the advertised prize and the amount a winner actually keeps are not the same thing.

For Guilford County, the story is more than a lucky break for one resident. It is a reminder of how small purchases in online lottery play can produce large, sudden payouts, while also feeding a state system tied to education funding across North Carolina. In a county where a High Point address can become a statewide headline overnight, the appeal is simple: a $1 ticket, daily drawings, and the slim chance that one lucky pick can change everything.