Joel Sanchez Penate of Raeford is the first person to win a top $150,000 Spicy Hot Crossword prize.
He bought the $5 scratch-off ticket at J&L Grocery on Rockfish Road in Raeford.
He claimed his prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $105,753.
Spicy Hot Crossword launched in May with four top prizes of $150,000. Three top prizes remain.
Ticket sales from games like Spicy Hot Crossword make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million dollars a year for education. For details on how over $3.7 million raised by the lottery supported education programs in Hoke County last year, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website, https://www.nclottery.com.