Paris Whidbee of Hertford will have some extra money for retirement, after he played the Red Hot Slots scratch-off game and won $200,000.

“It will be nice to have some more money to put away,” said Whidbee, a wheat farmer for 24 years.

His good fortune happened when he stopped by the Speedway on South Church Street in Hertford and bought the $5 scratch-off ticket.

“When the ticket came out, I decided that I was going to win the $200,000 prize,” Whidbee said. “I did. It feels good to do what I said I was going to do.”

Whidbee claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $139,003.

Red Hot Slots launched in August with four top prizes of $200,000. One top prize remains.

Ticket sales from instant games like Red Hot Slots make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.