Lottery player used the same numbers for 16 years. He’s finally a jackpot winner
A lottery player used the same numbers for 16 years — and he’s finally a jackpot winner.
Paul Bierwirth’s longtime tradition “paid off” when his go-to numbers were picked in a drawing, the North Carolina Education Lottery wrote July 17 in a news release.
Now, the lucky winner plans to help people impacted by Hurricane Helene, which battered parts of North Carolina in September. He hopes to donate some of his prize money to Samaritan’s Purse, a charity that has raised funds for storm relief.
Bierwirth won $439,226 after a stop at a Speedway gas station in Greenville, McClatchy News reported. While there, he tried his luck on the Carolina Cash 5 game, which offers tickets starting at $1.
When Bierwirth was drinking his morning coffee, he checked the outcome of the July 14 drawing. That’s when he realized his ticket beat 1-in-962,598 odds to hit the jackpot.
Bierwirth lives in Greenville, a roughly 85-mile drive east from Raleigh. He kept $315,145 after taxes, according to lottery officials.
It’s not the first time sticking to a set of numbers has led to a big prize. Another North Carolina lottery player’s persistence scored him a “breathtaking” win, McClatchy News reported in June.
This story was originally published July 18, 2025 at 9:59 AM.
