Jarred Earles of Eden said he followed a hunch on Saturday to buy his first lottery ticket in three years and it paid off with a $200,000 win.

Earles said he was at home on his couch when he decided to drive to a nearby store, the J Mart of Eden on Virginia Street, and buy a lottery ticket. He said he took the store clerk’s recommendation to try a new game, Break The Bank With Back Scratch!. A few seconds later, he said, he was standing in the parking lot holding a ticket worth $200,000.

“Unbelievable,” said Earles, who said he works as a tree cutter. “I still don’t believe it. I won’t believe it until I get to the bank.”

After state and federal taxes were withheld, Earles received a check for $138,401. He said he planned to use the money to buy his first house.

Earles was the first player to win the top prize in the new $5 game. The game provides more chances to win a prize by offering a “Back Scratch” feature that lets players try their luck on the back of the tickets as well as the front. Five more $200,000 top prizes remain to be claimed.

Ticket sales have made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $3.4 billion for the state. North Carolina Education Lottery net proceeds will be used this year to help pay salaries of teachers and teacher assistants, for pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, school construction and repair, and need-based college scholarships and financial aid.

For details on how more than $26.5 million in lottery funds have made a difference in Rockingham County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.