Bobby English, a mechanic from Elizabeth City, said he will use the $250,000 lottery prize he won Thursday night to pay off his mortgage.

English bought two $5 tickets at Han-Dee Hugo’s on U.S. 17 South in Elizabeth City, picking a $250,000 Platinum Payout ticket because “it just caught my eye.”

On Thursday night, while at home in his living room with his wife, he scratched the ticket. When he saw the win, he hid the prize with his thumb, and asked his wife to check the ticket. “What do you see?” he asked her. What she saw was a No. 6, one of English’s numbers, matching a No. 6 in the row of Winning Numbers, and underneath her husband’s thumb was the prize, “$250,000.”

English claimed his winnings Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh, receiving $173,126 after the required tax withholdings. But he said he’ll wait a while before celebrating. “Not till the house gets paid off,” he said. “Then there might be a celebration.”

The $250,000 Platinum Payout game started Sept. 6 with six top prizes. Four remain to be claimed.

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