Vertis McKoy of Clarkton became the first winner of the $2 million top prize on the Grand Money scratch-off ticket.

McKoy purchased her $20 ticket from Smoker Friendly on South Poplar Street in Elizabethtown. She claimed her prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.

She had the option of taking the $2 million as an annuity of $100,000 a year over 20 years, or a lump sum of $1.2 million. She chose the lump sum of $1.2 million and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $849,006.

The Grand Money ticket launched in September with four top prizes of $2 million. Three more remain to be claimed.
Ticket sales from scratch-offs like Grand Money make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million a year for education.

A $15 million grant, using money raised by the lottery, is helping Bladen County to build a new school to replace two older schools, including a school that is 100 years old. For details on other ways Bladen County benefits from lottery funds, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.