A North Carolina woman who has been using the same set of numbers to play lottery games since 2006 found her persistence paid off with a $264,419 Cash 5 jackpot.

Lola Allen, of Fayetteville, told North Carolina Education Lottery officials that the numbers she chose for her ‘Cash 5 ticket’ were the same numbers she has been using since the lottery came to the state some 16 years ago.

“From the very beginning, I’ve been using the same numbers,” Allen said. “They are my favorite numbers, so I stuck with them.”

Allen said she was shocked when her numbers came up in Thursday night’s drawing.

“When they all fell into place, I was in shock,” Allen said. “I was numb.”

Allen was one of three players to match all five numbers, earning her a $264,419 share of the $793,257 jackpot. – upi.com