RALEIGH – Jimmy Bean of Kernersville is the first $1 million winner in the new Extreme Millions scratch-off game.

“It’s pretty incredible, I have to say,” Bean said. “It was just my time.”

Bean, a maintenance technician, had just finished work Thursday when he stopped at the Quality Mart on Hanes Mall Boulevard in Winston-Salem. He bought an Extreme Millions ticket and won his money back on a $30 prize.

“So I bought another ticket,” Bean said. “I said to the clerk, ‘Make me a winner.’“

Bean again matched one of his winning numbers for a prize. He saw the $1 million amount, but could not believe his eyes. He looked up at the clerk with a question.

“I said to her, ‘Am I right?’” Bean recalled. “She said, ‘Oh my God!’“

Bean, a Triad area native, got his big check at a celebration event held Wednesday at the lottery’s regional office and claims center in Greensboro.

Winners in the Extreme Millions game have the option of claiming a $1 million prize in the form of 20 annuity payments of $50,000 or a one-time cash payment of $600,000. Bean chose the lump sum, worth $415,509 after required state and federal withholdings. Bean, a married father of two, said some of the prize money would be used to pay bills. He added that he and his wife might take a trip to Las Vegas.

Extreme Millions will create 30 winners of $1 million to $10 million, making it the biggest instant game ever offered in the state. With Bean’s win, 21 prizes of $1 million remain to be claimed. Also in the game are all four top prizes of $10 million, the largest prize that can be won on an instant ticket in the state. A $1 million prize will be awarded in each of four second-chance drawings.

Ticket sales make it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars a year for education. To see how the funds support specific programs in every county, visit nclottery.com and click on the “For Education” page.