RALEIGH – Michael Petrivelli of Concord bought a $5 scratch-off ticket the day before his wife’s birthday and won the first $200,000 prize in a new lottery game.

He said winning such an amazing prize the day before her birthday made it even more special.

“It was definitely a nice birthday present for her,” he said in a news release.

Petrivelli, a 62-year-old mechanic, bought his lucky Ice ticket from the Speedway on Concord Parkway North in Concord.

“Lo and behold, I thought it was a joke,” Petrivelli laughed. “I didn’t think it was real.”

He arrived at lottery headquarters Wednesday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $142,501.

“We are redoing our house right now so this will really come in handy,” Petrivelli said.

The Ice game launched in December with three top prizes of $200,000. Two $200,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how $15.6 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Cabarrus County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.