Grandfather won 2 jackpots. Now grandson credits lucky genes for own North Carolina win
Jose Cerro Ordonez’s mom has always told him he’s lucky.
“My grandfather won a lottery jackpot twice while living in South America,” he told North Carolina Education Lottery officials in an Aug. 8 news release. “[My mom] used to always tell me that I have my grandfather’s luck too.”
Now, the Wilmington dad is crediting that luck with his huge Cash 5 jackpot, according to lottery officials.
Ordonez said he bought his ticket using Online Play. Then, he used a random number generator on the lottery website to pick his numbers.
“I eventually stopped at some numbers that I liked because they matched some ages and birthday numbers in my family,” he told officials. “And those are the numbers I won on.”
Ordonez won the $726,439 jackpot, according to officials.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, I won,’” he said in the release. “It’s really crazy.”
After taxes, Ordonez took home $517,588, which he will use to pay off his mortgage and help out his family, he told lottery officials. He’ll also set some money aside for his daughter.
This story was originally published August 8, 2023 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Grandfather won 2 jackpots. Now grandson credits lucky genes for own North Carolina win."
