RALEIGH – For John and Debra Williams of Raeford, a $5 lottery ticket turned an ordinary Monday afternoon into a day they will never forget. It’s the day they won $200,000.

John, an Army serviceman, was driving home from Fort Bragg when he stopped at the Alco on Cliffdale Road in Fayetteville and bought a ticket for the $200,000 Triple Play game. Sitting in his car outside the store, he scratched the ticket.

“I had played the game before,” Williams recalled. “When I saw the first two $200,000 prizes, I knew I was going to see the third. I already knew I won.”

On tickets for $200,000 Triple Play, scratching to reveal three of the same prize amount is one of three ways to win.

He texted Debra a picture of the ticket and asked her what she saw.

“I hollered,” Debra said as the couple collected their prize money at lottery headquarters Wednesday. “He had it sitting on the counter when I got home.”

After 24 years of service, John already planned to retire from the Army in March. The couple said the $138,501 in after-tax winnings were a welcome addition to their finances.

With the Williams’ win, three top prizes remain in the $200,000 Triple Play game.

Ticket sales make it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars a year for education. To discover how those funds make a difference in every county, visit nclottery.com and click on the “For Education” page.