North Carolina man played lottery game over and over at same store. It finally paid off.

A North Carolina man played the same lottery game so many times at the same store that he and the owner became good friends, lottery officials said Saturday.

And that was before he hit a jackpot on Friday, officials said.

“I can’t wait to tell him I won,” Charlotte resident Benjamin Simmons said when he claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.

Simmons showed up at lottery headquarters just hours after hitting the $992,574 Fast Play jackpot on a $20 Max Win ticket, according to a lottery news release.

He beat odds of 1 in 320,000, according to the Max Win game page on N.C. Lottery.com

“I’ve been playing that game for a while at the same store,” Simmons said.

He bought the ticket Friday afternoon at the Raceway Amoco on Lyles Lane in Concord, officials said.

The jackpot had reached $792,574 at the time, according to the lottery.

Because he bought a $20 ticket, Simmons received 100% of the jackpot, plus $200,000, officials said.

After taxes, he took home $709,696, according to the lottery.

He’ll use the money help a family member dealing with a medical issue, Simmons told lottery officials.

The Fast Play jackpot grows with every ticket sold, according to the Fast Play game page on NC Lottery.com.

Saturday morning, the game had a $29,100 jackpot.