Jeremy Howard of Seven Springs said he couldn’t believe his luck when a $5 scratch-off turned into a $200,000 top prize.

“I thought it was a fake ticket at first,” he laughed. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Howard purchased his lucky Mega Bucks ticket from R-Mart on N.C. 111 North in Albertson. He won the first top prize in the new game.

“First thing I did was lock it up in the safe,” he laughed.

Howard said he already knows how he will spend his winnings.

“I can pay off my house and my truck,” Howard said.

He collected his prize at lottery headquarters Friday and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $143,001.

In addition to paying off his mortgage and truck loan, Howard said he plans to “splurge a little bit” too.

Mega Bucks debuted in August with nine $200,000 top prizes. Eight $200,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

Lenoir County received a $52 million grant, using money raised by the lottery, to help with school construction. For details on other ways Lenoir County education programs benefit from lottery funds, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.