A love of crossword puzzles led Timothy Pope of Ocean Isle Beach to a $150,000 lottery win.

“I like playing the crossword tickets,” Pope said. “I feel like they’re more entertaining.”

Pope’s good luck happened when he bought a $5 Silver & Gold Crossword scratch-off ticket at the Clinton Express Mart on Libson Street in Clinton.

“I thought I’d only gotten nine words at first,” Pope said. “I thought, ‘Alright! $1,000 isn’t bad.’ When I checked the ticket again, I realized I matched all ten words. I couldn’t believe it.”

Pope claimed his prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $104,253. He plans to use the money to pay bills and help pay for his children’s education.

Silver & Gold Crossword launched in May with six top prizes of $150,000. Two top prizes remain.

Ticket sales from instant games like Silver & Gold Crossword make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.