For Arthur Mclean of Stanley, running an errand on Christmas Day went from a chore to a ‘jumbo’ gift instantly when he won $750,000.

Mclean stopped by the Stop N Save Mart on N.C.73 in Denver and bought two Jumbo Bucks scratch-offs.

“I had to pick something up from the store,” said Mclean. “I thought to myself, ‘Might as well stop and grab a lottery ticket.’”

That last-minute decision paid off big for Mclean and his wife.

“I was in my truck,” said Mclean recalling the moment. “I got to the winning ticket and was shocked! I had to go back into the store and have them scan it. When the noises went off that told me I had won, I still didn’t believe it. I had to have them scan it twice!”

The real gift, Mclean said, arrived when he told his wife the good news.

“I went home and told my wife that we had won $750,000,” said Mclean. “She jumped right off the bed screaming, ‘You’re kidding me!’ So I gave her the ticket and she said, ‘Wooo — we sure did!’”

Mclean claimed his prize Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $530,628.

“I’ve got children,” said Mclean. “I’d like to help them out, fix up our house a bit and put the rest in the bank.”

Ticket sales from scratch-off games like Jumbo Bucks make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million every year for education. For details on how lottery funds are making a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.