Albert Carr Jr. of Hurdle Mills said he’s looking forward to a bright future after winning a $1 million lottery prize.

“I always told myself that if I won the lottery while I was young, I’d plan for the future,” Carr said. “You never know what’s coming. Especially now that I’m engaged, I want to be prepared.”

The 24-year-old Walmart employee bought the winning $10,000,000 Colossal Cash scratch-off ticket Tuesday when he stopped at the New American on N.C. 86 North in Hillsborough.

“At first I thought I only won $50 or $100,” Carr said. “Then I realized I won $1 million. I couldn’t believe it.”

He drove to his fiancé’s house to show her the ticket.

“She didn’t believe me at first,” said Carr. “When she saw the ticket, she was speechless.”

Carr claimed his prize Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. He had the choice of taking an annuity that has 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $424,509. In addition to saving and investing the money, Carr said he plans to take his fiancé on a nice vacation.

“I figured we’d take a week and just go somewhere fun,” Carr said.

The $30 ticket launched in August with four top prizes of $10 million and 16 prizes of $1 million. Three top prizes and nine $1 million prizes remain. Players can also enter their tickets into four second-chance drawings for a $1 million prize.

Ticket sales from games like $10,000,000 Colossal Cash help the lottery raise more than $650 million a year for education. For details on how $2 million in lottery funds made a difference in Person County last year, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website, https://www.nclottery.com.