Louise Verdino of Cragsmoor, N.Y. and MaryFrances Ryan of Mineola, N.Y. tried their luck on a $10 scratch-off and won a $1 million top prize.
They bought the lucky 50X The Cash ticket from the Lowes Foods on Brier Creek Parkway in Raleigh.
When they arrived at lottery headquarters Thursday, they had a decision to make. They could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. They chose to split the lump-sum amount of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, each took home $213,751.
The 50X The Cash game debuted in February with six top prizes of $1 million. Four $1 million prizes remain to be claimed.
Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how all 100 counties in North Carolina benefitted from lottery funds last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.