For Barry Bruce of Danville, Va., the difference between leaving a store empty-handed or with a lottery ticket worth $100,000 came down to trusting a hunch.

“I really was about to walk out,” Bruce said. “My mind just told me to go back and buy the ticket.”

Bruce bought his lucky $25 Spectacular Riches ticket from the Jones Exxon on N.C. 16 South in Stanley.

“I thought I won $100 at first,” Bruce said. “I was just like, ‘Wow.’”

Bruce collected his prize Monday at lottery headquarters and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,017.

He said he would use his winnings to remodel his home and help out his family.

Spectacular Riches debuted in October with eight $1 million prizes and 20 $100,000 prizes. Four $1 million prizes and 11 $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education. For details on how $14.7 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Gaston County in 2021, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.