RALEIGH – Lonnie Daniels, Sr. of Greenville said he plans to buy his wife, Brenda, her dream house after he won $200,000 in an instant game.

“When I walked into the house, I fell in love with it,” Brenda said. “It has three bedrooms and a great big barn in the back with trees.”

The money for the new house came from the top prize win from the $500 Frenzy scratch-off game. Daniels got the ticket at the Country Fare Store on Barrus Construction Road in Greenville.

“I don’t normally play scratch-off tickets,” Daniels said. “I fell in love with the Frenzy ticket.”

Daniels was sitting on the steps outside his house, scratching his $5 ticket when he realized he won. His wife started wondering what was going on when she heard his excitement.

“He just kept saying, ‘I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it!’” she said. “This is a big blessing.”

Daniels claimed his prize money Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal withholdings, he received a check for $139,003.

Frenzy scratch-off games have big top prizes, but are also loaded with prizes that can make someone’s day. Besides four $200,000 top prizes remaining, $500 Frenzy still has more than $4.9 million in $500 prizes in the game. Since it began July 4, players have won more than $1.3 million in $500 prizes.

Ticket sales from instant games like $500 Frenzy make it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars a year for the state. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in Pitt County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.