RALEIGH – Frank Castillo, a seafood salesman from Surry County, said he has played the lottery in North Carolina and Virginia for years and always believed he’d eventually be a big winner. That dream came true when he matched all five white balls in the July 20 Mega Millions drawing and won $1 million.

“I’ve always been a hard-working man and I’ve only played the lottery in moderation,” Castillo said. “I kept playing because I had faith, and now the day has finally come. I’m still pinching myself.”

Castillo verified his win by returning to the store where he purchased his ticket, the Jonestown Road Family Fare on Jonestown Road in Winston-Salem. He wanted the clerk to confirm that he had won $250,000, but soon learned that because he purchased a $2 Megaplier ticket, his winnings were multiplied to $1 million.

“When he said $1 million, I almost fainted,” Castillo said. “I felt my knees getting weaker. I caught myself on the counter. I’m still pinching myself.”

Castillo plans to use his winnings, worth $680,000 after taxes were withheld, to pay off his mortgage and auto loans, start college funds for his children and start a business.

“I appreciate that the lottery supports education,” Castillo added as he received his winnings. “Every time you buy a ticket, you’re making your community better and giving more students a chance to become professionals.”

Since the lottery began through June 30, 2011, Surry County education programs received more than $15.8 million in lottery funds. By law, those funds pay for teachers’ salaries in grades K-3, school construction, prekindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, and need-based college scholarships and financial aid.

To date, the N.C. Education Lottery has raised more than $2.45 billion for these initiatives statewide.