North Carolina Man Wins $800K Lottery, Says His Sister Dreamt About It

Do premonitions come true? A lottery winner from North Carolina believes so. David Atwell of Kannapolis who won over $800,000 in the lottery says his sister had already dreamt about the riches. Atwell won the prize in Saturday night’s drawing off a Cash 5 on a $1 ticket he bought at a local Jiffy Quik, according to North Carolina’s Education Lottery’s announcement. “I was stunned, at first,” Atwell said, per the blog. However, the interesting bit about Atwell’s story was the hunch and belief his sister had about him winning.

Here’s how Atwell won the lottery

Atwell bought a $1 ticket from a convenience store in Kannapolis, a Charlotte suburb in the northeast area of the city. His ticket matched all five of the numbers drawn in Cash 5, in nearly a one-in-a-million chance, as per the lottery. Despite this, Atwell was initially disappointed, as the jackpot had reset to $100,000, meaning someone had won that night's jackpot. “I saw the jackpot went back down to $100,000 so I knew someone hit it. I had no idea it was me,” Atwell said speaking to the lottery. 

Once he realized that he won, Atwell had an outburst of joy. His wife, Cherie Atwell recounted, "He was hollering so much it scared the cat.” The couple then claimed the prize at the North Carolina Education Lottery's headquarters in Raleigh. After taxes, they took home about $598,591, per the website’s blog. Atwell said he plans to pay some bills and donate to his church. 

Here’s how the lottery works

The Cash 5 is a daily rolling jackpot game, per the official website. In the lottery, five numbers are drawn each night and prizes are awarded for matching one to five of the numbers. The tickets are $1, and jackpots start at a whopping $100,000. The jackpot keeps growing until someone wins. "Winning a jackpot like this is a dream come true," a North Carolina Education Lottery Spokesperson Van Denton told FOX Business. As per the spokesperson, over $1 billion was raised by such fun games last year. He added that the lottery supports education programs in the state contributing to a better future. 

 Last month, in a similar winning case, Reshawn Toliver from Kentucky won a life-changing amount from a simple scratch-off ticket. The woman won a $90,000 lottery prize, per USA Today, and decided to quit her job immediately. Much like Atwell, Toliver also purchased a $5 Wild Cash Multiplier scratch-off ticket from a local gas station in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Toliver won the top prize after matching three of the numbers “7” in the game and won the prize that correlated with her match. Toliver cashed the prize at Kentucky Lottery headquarters and took home about $64,800 after taxes. Meanwhile, Skyline Fuel which sold her the lucky ticket, received $900 as a bonus.

Toliver's decision to quit her job came as she was tired of her current employment situation and yearning for something new. She saw the lottery win as an opportunity for change. "I was unhappy with my job, and God made a way," Toliver shared with the publication.