Stephen Brady of Clayton tried his luck on a $30 scratch-off ticket and won a $1 million prize.

Brady received his lucky Millionaire Maker ticket as a Christmas gift from his wife. She bought the ticket from the Food Lion on U.S. 70 in Clayton.

When Brady arrived at lottery headquarters on Tuesday to collect his prize, he had a decision to make. He could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump-sum amount of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $426,069.

The Millionaire Maker game launched in March with 30 top prizes of $1 million and 10 $100,000 prizes. Brady became the 23rd person to win one of the $1 million prizes. Seven $1 million prizes and four $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education. For details on how $13.9 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Johnston County in 2020, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.