Anabel Monter Martinez of Siler City said she couldn’t believe it when a scratch-off ticket turned into a $1 million prize.

“I told my husband to go back to the store and check it again,” Monter Martinez said.

Monter Martinez, 32, said it was her husband who bought the $10 scratch-off ticket from La Guadalupana De Siler City on West Raleigh Street in Siler City and gave it to her.

“I told him, ‘If I scratch it and I win, then it’s mine,’” she joked.

When Monter Martinez arrived at lottery headquarters on Friday to collect her prize, she had a decision to make. She could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. She chose the lump-sum amount of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $424,503.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games like $1,000,000 Bankroll make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education. For details on how money raised by the lottery made a difference in Chatham County in 2020, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section