RALEIGH – Laura Luis, a resident of Yadkinville, plans to use the $100,000 she won playing the Mega Bucks game to vacation in Mexico, pay bills and help her family. She bought the lucky ticket while stopping for a bottle of water at Cruizers on Hillsborough Road in Raleigh.

“I’ve liked playing Mega Bucks for a while,” Luis said on Thursday afternoon. “It’s just a fun game. But now I like it even more.”

After state and federal taxes were withheld, Luis received a check for $69,201.

“I couldn’t believe it when I scratched it off,” Luis said as she held her check for the first time. “It didn’t feel real then, but it sure feels real now.”

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 $12.1 million in lottery funds have made a difference in Yadkin County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.