For Jason and Tammy Foraker of Hope Mills, a family trip to the movies turned into a $200,000 lottery win after they made an unplanned stop.

“The movie my daughter and I were watching ended earlier than the one my husband and son were at,” Tammy said. “So we decided to get gas while we were waiting.”

Tammy stopped by the Alco on Camden Road in Hope Mills. While she was there, she bought eight “7” scratch-off tickets.

“I didn’t win anything until the 7th ticket,” Tammy said. “I saw the 20 and thought, ‘Great! At least I won something,’ then I saw the comma and started scratching as fast as I could.”

When Tammy realized the ticket was worth $200,000, she immediately texted her husband.

“I didn’t believe her at first,” Jason said. “As soon as she sent me a picture of the ticket I wanted to leave, but our son said we had to stay and finish the movie.”

The couple claimed their prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, they took home $139,003. They plan to use the money to pay off their mortgage.

“I feel blessed,” Tammy said. “It will be such a relief not to have to pay that every month.”

Jason and Tammy are the first players to claim a top $200,000 prize in the “7” game. Four top prizes remain.

Ticket sales from games like “7” made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $634 million for the state last year. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in Cumberland County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.