Gaston County man buying birthday cake ends up with $1 million North Carolina lottery win
![Lee’s Quick Stop store clerk Aranya Saengchanh, a 2020 Highland School of Technology graduate, sold Gary Grant a winning Cash 5 ticket on Friday worth more than $1.1 million. [SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE]](/gcdn/authoring/2020/05/28/NGAG/ghows-NC-a7860ec4-b4a5-4a2f-91c3-49c9eea9393d-f5aafe1f.jpeg?width=300&height=400&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Gary Grant of Mount Holly was buying a birthday cake when he decided to check a few Cash 5 tickets.
As it turns out, one of his tickets was worth the $1,127,585 jackpot.
“It was my kid’s birthday so I was going out to get a cake and I had old lottery tickets I needed to cash in,” recalled Grant. “I got down to the last ticket and it said ‘Winner! Go to lottery headquarters.’ I could barely believe it.”
Grant, a driver for a solid waste services company, won the jackpot in the May 22 drawing. He purchased his lucky Quick Pick ticket at Lee’s Quick Stop on North Main Street in Mount Holly, where he is a regular customer.
“Every time he comes to my store he always has a smile on his face. I’m really happy for the gentleman who won the jackpot,” said Sam Saengchanh, owner of the store, on Tuesday.
When Grant found out he hit the jackpot, he called his wife to share the good news.
“I told her, ‘You’ll never believe it, but I just won a million dollars,’” he recalled. “When she found out I won, she started crying.”
Grant says he was “amazed” by his good fortune. “When I got back to the house, as soon as I got out of the car, I was jumping up and down.”
Grant claimed his prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $797,767.
“It was an amazing feeling and still is hard to believe,” said Grant. “I was holding on to a wish and a dream. I never would have thought that I’d be a winner.”
Grant says he plans to buy a new home with his winnings. He plans to continue working and “use the rest wisely.”
Store clerk Aranya Saengchanh sold Grant the winning Cash 5 ticket.
“I advise other people to buy,” Sam Saengchanh said. “You never know, $1 or $2 can change your life overnight.”
For selling the winning ticket, with such a large jackpot, Lee’s Quick Stop receives a $10,000 bonus from N.C. Lottery, according to state lottery officials.
You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-201-7016 or email him at kellis@gastongazette.com.
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