After seeing a movie with his wife Sunday night, Teddy Sparks of Hubert stopped at a convenience store to buy a scratch-off and discovered a $100,000 prize.

“My wife was scratching the ticket and then her hands started shaking and she started freaking out,” Sparks said.

Sparks, a 68-year-old truck driver, bought his lucky $25 Spectacular Riches ticket from the Circle K on North Marine Boulevard in Jacksonville.

“I told her, ‘Don’t freak out and have a heart attack before we can get the money,’” he laughed.

Sparks arrived at lottery headquarters Monday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,017.

He said he would use his winnings to pay some bills and put the rest in the bank.

Spectacular Riches debuted in October of 2021 with eight $1 million prizes and 20 $100,000 prizes. Two $1 million prizes and seven $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

Ticket sales from scratch-offs make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how $12.1 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Onslow County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.