INDIANAPOLIS - And the winner is .... Merrill Jeffrey of Monterey. Jeffrey is the Hoosier Lottery's latest Cash 5 winner - and he is one of just 218 residents in the tiny northern Indiana town of Monterey.

The lucky retiree recently purchased a winning Cash 5 ticket worth $162,000 at the JK Deli at 8995 S. U.S. 35. That ticket matched all five numbers in the Feb. 20 Cash 5 drawing. Those winning numbers were: 9-15-21-27-34.

"I'm a happy old man," said Jeffrey as he claimed his prize at Hoosier Lottery Headquarters Feb. 22. "I've never really won anything," said Jeffrey. "It's a shock, a pleasant shock."

Jeffrey joins winners in Hoosier cities of Batesville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Merrillville, Muncie, Monticello and South Bend in winning Cash 5 jackpots.

The lucky player said he plans to use his winnings to buy a car, help his foster son and "improve my life situation just a bit."

Cash 5 launched November 4 and is the Hoosier Lottery's newest draw game. The nightly game offers the best cash odds of any Hoosier Lottery draw game and costs just $1 per play. The overall odds of winning are 1 in 8.8. The jackpot starts at $50,000 and rolls, or increases, every night until it is hit.

Players may purchase Cash 5 tickets anywhere Hoosier Lottery draw games are sold and may be purchased simply by asking a retail clerk for "Cash 5."

The Hoosier Lottery reminds all players to play responsibly.

The mission of the Hoosier Lottery is to maximize net income for the state in a socially-responsible manner. In fiscal year 2012, the Hoosier Lottery generated $211 million in surplus revenue which was used to significantly reduce the motor vehicle excise tax for all Hoosier drivers and also supported the pension funds for retired Indiana teachers, police and firefighters. Player prizes for the fiscal year totaled $533 million and $60 million was earned by Indiana retailers on the sale of Hoosier Lottery products.

Since its inception in 1989, the Hoosier Lottery has produced more than $4.2 billion for the citizens of Indiana, $1 billion in commissions and bonuses for participating Indiana retailers, and has paid out more than $8.9 billion in player prizes.