“We like to go on cruises,” the winner told lottery officials. “This will make it a lot sweeter next time.” It’s not the first time a lucky lottery player has planned for a vacation. Another North Carolina winner hoped to take a Caribbean cruise after he hit the jackpot, McClatchy News reported in May.

A Florida lottery player has more than 115,000 new reasons to smile. Someone matched all five numbers in the evening drawing Thursday, Jan. 9, to win a $116,958.66 jackpot, according to officials at the Florida Lottery. The lucky player scored the windfall on a ticket purchased at the Riverview Food Mart in Riverview, the lottery said.

December was a hot month to play the lottery in Kentucky, with the latest winner coming away with more than $120,000.

“We know that many people will likely receive tickets to Friday’s drawing as holiday gifts, and what a gift that would turn out to be if you ended up with a ticket worth a $1.15 billion jackpot,” Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a news release before the jackpot rose again to $1.22 billion.

A single Fantasy 5 ticket matching all five numbers drawn Monday, Jan. 6, won a massive $510,693 jackpot, according to the Georgia Lottery. The lucky player bought the ticket at the Girard Mall gas station in Girard, a tiny town of 184 residents near the Georgia-South Carolina state line, officials said.

The Powerball jackpot has grown to $263 million after no one won at Jan. 8 drawing. Here's what time the next drawing is in Arizona and how to play.

Congrats to two Cash 5 players who win big prizes yesterday! A player with a ticket from Masonboro Country Store on Masonboro Loop Rd. in Wilmington won a $200,757 prize and a player with a ticket from Harris Teeter on Town Center Dr. in Mooresville won $50,000 with Double Play! pic.twitter.com/lgWVhDoRWc

The Powerball lottery jackpot is $200 million for the drawing on Saturday, Jan. 4. Check your tickets for the winning numbers!