James Hoke of Greer, S.C., made a last-minute decision to buy a $20 scratch-off on Wednesday and walked away with the first $250,000 top prize in a new lottery game.

“I wasn’t even considering buying one until I got to the register,” he recalled. “I just saw one I liked and had a feeling about it.”

When Hoke scratched his Holiday Gold Surprise ticket in the parking lot, he initially misread the winning amount.

“Originally I thought I won $250,” he laughed. “Then I realized how much it was. I’ve never seen that many zeroes before.”

Hoke, in town for construction work, bought his lucky scratch-off from the Circle K on Boylston Highway in Mills River. He arrived at lottery headquarters Thursday to claim his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $180,031.

He plans to invest his winnings.

The Holiday Gold Surprise game debuted this month with three $250,000 top prizes. Two $250,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

For details on how money raised by the lottery made a difference in North Carolina last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.