RALEIGH – Leonard Hipkins of Kannapolis became on Friday the third person to win $1 million playing the $4,000,000 Gold Bullion game.

Hipkins scratched off the prize after buying the lucky ticket at the Rushco Food Store on North Cannon Boulevard in Kannapolis.

Winners of the $1 million prize in the game have the option of receiving their winnings in annuity payments of $50,000 for 20 years or getting a lump sum. Hipkins chose the $600,000 cash option and, after federal and state tax withholdings, he received $408,006.

As of Friday, four $1 million prizes and two $4 million prizes remain to be claimed.

Since the lottery began through June 30, 2012, Cabarrus County education programs received more than $49.7 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 lottery has raised more than $2.8 billion for these initiatives statewide.