A tradition of getting scratch-off tickets on a Saturday night turned lucky for Henry and Deborah Highland of Staley after they won $150,000 playing $500 Mayhem.

The couple has been getting tickets every weekend for the last ten years.

“We finally got lucky,” Deborah said.

They scratched the tickets after eating dinner at home, and were so excited they didn’t know what to do. “We didn’t scream,” Deborah said. “We didn’t holler, it was like it wasn’t real.”

They rushed to the store to scan their ticket, just to make sure.

“I didn’t sleep at all,” Henry said. “I just couldn’t believe it.”

The Highlands claimed their prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After federal and state tax withholdings, they took home $103,876. They plan to get a new car and pay bills.

The Highlands bought the $5 ticket at Sunrise Food & Gas on West Third Street in Siler City.

$500 Mayhem launched last May with five top prizes of $150,000. Since all top prizes in the game have been won, the lottery will start the steps to end the game.

Ticket sales from games like $500 Mayhem made it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars for the state last year. For details on how over $53.6 million in lottery funds has made a difference in Randolph County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.