Christopher Tate of Lincolnton says he doesn’t play the lottery often, but on a whim decided to try his luck at a convenience store and won $100,000.

“I had a feeling,” said Tate after collecting his prize this week at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. “I didn’t believe it at first.”

Tate’s good luck happened at Mike’s Food Store on North Post Road in Shelby, where he bought an Extreme Cash ticket.

Extreme Cash launched in March as the first scratch-off game where the lowest prize available is more than the price of the ticket. Tickets cost $25 each and if someone wins a prize it’s at least $40.

After federal and state tax withholdings, Tate took home $70,757. He said he planned to use some of the money to pay a couple of bills and then invest the rest.

Extreme Cash started with three top prizes of $1 million and 10 $100,000 prizes. As of Friday, the game still had two $1 million prizes and six $100,000 prizes remaining to be claimed.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million per year for education. For details on how $4.5 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Lincoln County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.