Tammy and Alex Phipps of Warsaw say a $100,000 Millionaire Bucks win will help them recover after a fire destroyed their home four years ago.

“It’s going to help us finish getting back on our feet,” Tammy says. “We have our own land, and we’re going to get a four-bedroom mobile home.”

The couple’s good fortune happened when they stopped by the New Dixie Mart on Julian Allsbrook Highway in Roanoke Rapids and bought the $20 scratch-off ticket.

“At first I thought I only won a $100,” Alex, a longtime truck driver, said. “But then I saw the comma.”

“He was in shock at first,” Tammy said. “He said, ‘Babe, I think we just won a $100,000.’ I didn’t believe him, and kept thinking, “Where are the cameras? This can’t be real.”’

It was real, and the couple claimed the prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, they took home $69,507.

Millionaire Bucks launched in January 2016 with three top prizes of $4 million, five prizes of $1 million, and eight prizes of $100,000. Two $4 million prizes, two $1 million prizes, and three $100,000 prizes remain.

Ticket sales from games like Millionaire Bucks made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $634 million for the state last year. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in Duplin County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.