Harold Humble of Greensboro left a $5 Gold Rush ticket on his screened-in porch for three days last week only to return and discover a nugget of a prize the size of $250,000.

“I probably won’t do that again,” said Humble, a small businessman, as he claimed his prize Thursday in Raleigh. He said he and his wife were speechless when he finally scratched the ticket on Saturday and saw his prize.

Humble bought his lucky ticket at Murphy’s Express on Elmsley Meadow Lane in Greensboro. After federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $176,186. He said he would give to his church, pay some bills, and fix up his house.

“It’s a good blessing,” Humble said. “It will help me get most things paid off.”

The $250,000 Gold Rush game launched in August with five top prizes of $250,000. Two more remain to be claimed.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million a year for education. For details on how $31.9 million made a difference in Guilford County in 2019, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.