RALEIGH – Last year on Mother’s Day, Brandy Hatcher of Wilmington learned that she was expecting her first child. This Mother’s Day, she purchased a $4,000,000 Gold Bullion ticket that would go on to win her $1 million.

“I had just gone to the store to buy mints and decided to try a ticket on the way out,” Hatcher said. “I really couldn’t believe it. Between last Mother’s Day and this one, I don’t think it could get much better.”

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. Hatcher took the cash payment. She plans to use her winnings, worth $415,206 after state and federal taxes, to purchase a car and save for her daughter’s college education.

Hatcher is the sixth player to win a $1 million prize in the game. She purchased the lucky ticket at the Lowes Foods on Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington.

As of Monday afternoon, one $4 million top prize, one $1 million prize and two $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed in the $20 game.

Ticket sales have made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $3.3 billion for the state. Net proceeds are used for prekindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, teachers’ salaries in grades K-3, school construction, digital learning initiatives, need-based college scholarships and financial aid.

For details on how more than $50.2 million in lottery funds have made a difference in New Hanover County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.