For Harry Graham of Richlands, an avid lottery player of 20 years, the day he won big started off like any other. He stopped by a local convenience store to buy his daily tickets and began scratching.

As he was scratching, he noticed something different. This time, the zeros kept coming.

“When I saw the first zero, I didn’t think much of it,” said Graham. “But I kept scratching and got some zeros. I scratched again and got some more zeros. I didn’t think I could see straight!”

Graham, a retired carpenter, plans on taking a few trips and saving the rest of his prize money.

“I’m already 76,” said Graham. “But at least I get to live comfortably for the rest of my life.”

After required state and federal holdings, Graham took home $139,003.

Graham purchased the $5 ticket at the Friendly Mart located on Richlands Highway in Jacksonville. The game launched this month with four top prizes of $200,000. Three top prizes remain.

Ticket sales from games like “$” made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $634 million for the state last year. For details on how more than $67.3 million in lottery funds has made a difference in Onslow County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.