Charlotte man wins $444,573 Cash 5 jackpot as North Carolina’s daily lottery prize resets

A single winning ticket matched all five numbers

A Charlotte-area player won a $444,573 jackpot in North Carolina’s Cash 5 game after one ticket matched all five numbers in the Friday, Jan. 16, 2026 drawing. The official results for that drawing show the winning numbers were 1-3-7-26-37, with exactly one top-prize winner statewide.

The same drawing produced 31 tickets matching four of five numbers (a $250 prize), 1,607 tickets matching three numbers ($5), and 18,887 tickets matching two numbers ($1). Cash 5 is a daily draw game with a $1 ticket price and fixed odds of 1 in 962,598 for matching all five numbers.

How Cash 5 jackpots are determined

Cash 5 is structured as a rolling jackpot game, meaning the top prize can grow when there is no winner and typically resets after a jackpot is hit. For the Jan. 16 drawing, the advertised jackpot estimate at the time of the draw was $443,000; the actual jackpot paid was $444,573, reflecting ticket sales and game rules that can cause the final prize to differ from the estimate.

Cash 5 also offers add-on features in North Carolina, including Double Play and EZ Match, which are separate options that can affect a ticket’s overall cost and potential additional winnings but do not change the core Cash 5 jackpot odds.

Claim process and timing for winners

State lottery rules require prizes to be claimed through official channels, with larger prizes typically claimed at lottery headquarters. With jackpots of this size, winners generally face identity verification requirements and tax withholdings before a net payout is issued. North Carolina typically withholds federal and state taxes on larger lottery prizes, which can reduce the amount the winner receives.

The drawing produced one jackpot-winning ticket for $444,573, along with tens of thousands of smaller prizes.

What happens next for the game

After the Jan. 16 jackpot was won, the Cash 5 top prize reset to its base level for the next drawing. The game continues with nightly drawings, and jackpots can rise quickly when no ticket matches all five numbers.

• Game: Cash 5 (North Carolina)
• Drawing date: Jan. 16, 2026
• Winning numbers: 1-3-7-26-37
• Jackpot: $444,573 (one winning ticket)
• Odds of matching all five numbers: 1 in 962,598

Officials did not immediately release details identifying the winner in the drawing results listing. Lottery winner announcements, when they occur, may follow later if a winner chooses to claim publicly or is featured in a subsequent release.