Lois Cook of Lenoir tried her luck on a $25 scratch-off ticket and won a $1 million prize.

Cook bought her lucky Spectacular Riches ticket from Jason Mart on Wilkesboro Boulevard in Lenoir.

When Cook arrived at lottery headquarters 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 $426,067.

The Spectacular Riches game launched in October with eight top prizes of $1 million and 20 $100,000 prizes. Five $1 million prizes and 13 $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. A $15 million grant, using money raised by the lottery, helped Caldwell County build the new Granite Falls Middle School. For details on other ways Caldwell County benefits from lottery funds, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.