N.C. Couple’s Longtime Lottery Numbers Finally Pay Off

Has anyone ever told you that it pays to be persistent? Well, they were right. A North Carolina couple is living proof. The Associated Press reports that Terry Coggeshall and his wife are finally lottery winners after playing the same numbers for over a quarter of a century.

Mr. Coggeshall told North Carolina lottery officials that he and his wife have played the Cash 5 drawing with the same numbers for 26 years. They actually started playing that set of numbers when they still lived in Florida.

Over the years, the couple came close to hitting the jackpot a few times but never won until now. Terry bought the winning ticket at a grocery store in Chapel Hill. His odds of winning were 1 in 962,598.

Thanks to their persistence with those lottery numbers, the Coggeshalls now have over $366,000 to "take the stress off" and put toward their retirements. And it only took 26 years.