A couple from Clayton says they experienced “shock and disbelief” after winning $100,000 instantly. William and Amy Locklear won the top prize playing the N.C. Education Lottery's Wheel of Fortune scratch-off game.

Aside from taking a vacation next year, the Locklears said they’ll use their winnings to save for their children’s college funds.

“We’ve already got some in place,” Amy explained. “But this will help us not have to think about it as much.”

Amy, who recently started her own personal training business, said she’s glad lottery funds benefit education programs in North Carolina.

“I think it’s important,” she said. “Our school systems need it.”

While the Locklear’s big win is the result of random chance, William said he uses a deliberate system to select which instant games to play: he chooses tickets based on the dispenser numbers they’re in, numbers which have to match his favorite Powerball numbers.

William, who works in management, bought the winning ticket at a store called Sandhu’s Cleveland, located in the Cleveland Emporium, in Clayton. William and Amy each received an after-tax check for $34,000 at NCEL headquarters in Raleigh.

The Locklear’s claim comes just a year after another six figure prize was awarded to a Johnston County player, who also won playing a popular TV-show themed game. Last October, a Selma man scratched off $100,000 playing The Price is Right.

Since the lottery began through June 30 of this year, Johnston County players won more than $57.1 million in prizes and local retailers earned more than $7.9 million in commissions on ticket sales.

During the same time frame, Johnston County education programs received more than $38 million in lottery funds. By law, those funds pay for teacher salaries, school construction, need-based college scholarships and prekindergarten programs.

To date, the N.C. Education Lottery has raised more than $2 billion for these initiatives statewide.