RALEIGH – Vickie Richmond, a quality control officer from Sanford, said she plans to use the $1 million she won playing $120 Million Cash to pay off her house and take a vacation.

“Words can’t describe what I’m feeling,” Richmond said as she collected her winnings on Thursday. “My life changed overnight.”

Richmond scratched off the lucky $20 ticket on Wednesday evening after purchasing it at the Short Stop on West Main Street in Sanford.

“I almost hit the floor when I saw I had won,” Richmond said. “I kept looking at it to see if it was really real. I couldn’t sleep because I was afraid it was a dream.”

Winners of $1 million in the game have the option of claiming it in $50,000 payments as a 20-year annuity or a one-time lump sum of $600,000. Richmond chose the cash option and, after state and federal taxes were withheld, received a check for $415,206.

“I like playing the lottery because it’s for a good cause,” Richmond said. “The kids really need the money for their education. I don’t feel bad if I don’t win because I know it’s helping the kids.”

$120 Million Cash started Oct. 1, 2013 with four top prizes of $3 million and 6 prizes of $1 million. Richmond is the third player to beat odds of 1 in 1.3 million to win $1 million playing the game. Two more top prizes of $3 million and three $1 million prizes remain unclaimed.

Ticket sales have made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $3.19 billion for education programs statewide. For details on how more than $20.6 million in lottery funds have made a difference in Lee County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.