RALEIGH – An instant scratch-off game based on the iconic Star Trek entertainment franchise goes on sale Tuesday. Fans of the franchise will recognize the intergalactic ticket graphics. Players of the $2 game will have chances win one of five $20,000 top prizes and a trip to the Star Trek convention in Las Vegas.

At launch, players will have the chance to win more than $4.8 million in total prizes. Each of ten prizes on a ticket has a corresponding number. A prize is won when its corresponding number matches one of the two winning numbers. Scratching to reveal a “star” symbol wins all ten prizes on the ticket. Approximate overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 4.4.

Players could win instantly, but the play experience does not necessarily end when a ticket is scratched. Non-winning tickets can be entered online into a second-chance drawing for the opportunity to win a trip to Las Vegas for the 2013 Star Trek Convention.

Instant tickets for a $5 game called Mega Money Multiplier are also heading to stores. It begins with four top prizes of $150,000 and more than $13.2 million in total prizes. If a player finds either of two “lucky numbers” in one of the 36 play spaces, the prize for that space is won. Scratching to reveal a “moneybag” symbol wins double the prize shown. Approximate overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 3.92.

For more information, visit the NCEL’s website at www.nc-educationlottery.org.

Along with draw games, sales of instant tickets have enabled the N.C. Education Lottery to raise more than $2.6 billion to benefit education statewide. By law, lottery funds pay for teachers’ salaries in grades K-3, school construction, prekindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, and college scholarships and financial aid based on need.