RALEIGH – After claiming a $1 million scratch-off prize on Wednesday morning, Laurie Gray can consider herself to be the among the luckiest residents of her town of Horse Shoe in Henderson County. Gray said she plans to use the prize she scratched off on her Red Hot Millions ticket to buy a house, help pay for her children’s education and maybe go on another honeymoon with her husband.

“I saw the last number on the ticket matched the $1 million prize and I just started shaking all over,” Gray said. “It really hasn’t hit me yet.”

The Red Hot Millions game marks the first time that a N.C. Education Lottery instant game has allowed players who scratch off a $1 million prize to choose between a 20-year annuity prize or take a discounted lump sum cash prize. Players who choose the annuity receive $50,000 a year for twenty years. Those who choose the lump sum receive a cash prize of $680,000.

After choosing the lump sum option, Gray received a payment of $462,403, after taxes were withheld. She purchased the winning ticket at Energy Mart on Rosman Highway in Brevard. The game now has one $1 million top prize remaining to be claimed.

Gray said knowing that lottery ticket purchases benefit education is important to her. Since the lottery began through June 30 of 2011, education programs in Henderson County received more than $14.8 million in lottery funds. By law, those funds pay for teachers’ salaries, school construction, need-based college scholarships and prekindergarten programs.

“I have two girls in college,” Gray said. “So I feel good knowing that the lottery money is going to education and scholarships.”

Since the lottery launched in 2006, Henderson County players have claimed $25.2 million in prizes. To date, the N.C. Education Lottery has raised more than $2.2 billion for education initiatives statewide.