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RALEIGH – Bruce Tipton of Charlotte said he had to take time to calm himself down after his $5 scratch-off won him a $200,000 prize.

“I was honestly too scared to drive,” Tipton said. “It took a while before I could stop shaking.”

Tipton, a 41-year-old construction worker, became the first winner of the top prize in the new $5 Carolina Jackpot game.

“When I saw a lot of zeroes on there,” Tipton said, “I knew I won something big.”

He bought his lucky Carolina Jackpot ticket from the Circle K on Freedom Drive in Charlotte.

“I was actually looking for two other tickets but they were both sold out so I bought that one instead,” Tipton said.

Tipton collected his prize Thursday from lottery headquarters and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $142,021.

He said he would like to use his winnings to help out his family members and possibly buy a house that he can fix up.

The $5 Carolina Jackpot game debuted this month with six $200,000 prizes. Five $200,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

The game also features a new second-chance opportunity for those who buy Carolina Jackpot tickets. For the first time, any Carolina Jackpot scratch-off can be entered into second-chance drawings that feature a rolling jackpot. As more tickets are entered, the larger the rolling jackpot grows.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education. For details on how $62.6 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Mecklenburg County in 2021, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.