Joseph White of Julian will be able to fix up and pay off his house after he won $200,000 playing the new Red Hot Slots scratch-off game.

“I bought a fixer upper,” White said. “I’ll finally be able to do all those home repairs projects I’ve wanted to do. I want to dig a new well and get central air conditioning. It will also be nice not to have a mortgage payment so I can get ready to retire in four to five years.”

White’s been working as a die-cut machine technician for 40 years. His good luck happened when he bought the $5 scratch-off ticket at Surya Merchant on Liberty Road in Greensboro.

When he went home and scratched the ticket, he couldn’t believe what he saw.

“I about shed a tear when I looked at it,” White said. “I jumped back into the car and drove to the store so I could have the clerk double check it.”

White claimed his prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $139,003.

Red Hot Slots launched earlier this month with four top prizes of $200,000. Two top prizes remain.

Ticket sales from instant games like Red Hot Slots make it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in Guilford County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.