Vera Bolin of Gastonia tried her luck on a $5 Ca$h Plu$ scratch-off and won a $200,000 prize.

Bolin bought her lucky $5 ticket at Will’s on South New Hope Road in Gastonia. She claimed her prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $141,501.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million per year for education. For details on how $13.4 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Gaston County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact”