Ayman Abu-Hammad of Cary won a $100,000 top prize after buying a $30 scratch-off ticket in Raleigh. Abu-Hammad purchased his winning $100,000 Cash Payday ticket from the Exxon station on New Bern Avenue.
He claimed his prize Wednesday at North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters. After required federal and state tax withholdings, Abu-Hammad took home $72,018.
The $100,000 Cash Payday game debuted in March and features 80 top prizes. Lottery officials say 70 of those $100,000 prizes remain unclaimed.
Meanwhile, a Randolph County man is marking his own major lottery moment.
Bryan McMasters of Randleman won a $341,844 Cash 5 jackpot after playing the same numbers he always uses -- his son's birthday.
"It was surreal," McMasters said. "I saw the numbers, and knew I won."
McMasters bought his $1 ticket through Online Play. The odds of matching all five numbers in Cash 5 are 1 in 962,598.
He also claimed his prize Wednesday in Raleigh and, after taxes, took home $246,664.
"I can finally relax," McMasters said. He plans to use his winnings to pay bills and take his son on a cruise.