Cynthia Cutting of Statesville tried her luck with a $20 scratch-off ticket and instantly became a millionaire.
Cutting won the first $4 million prize in the new Millionaire Bucks game. She bought her lucky ticket at Times Turnaround on West W.T. Harris Boulevard in Charlotte and claimed her prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.
Cutting had the choice of taking the $4 million as an annuity of $200,000 a year over 20 years, or a lump sum of $2.4 million. She chose the lump sum and took home $1,698,006 after federal and state tax withholdings.
The Millionaire Bucks game started in June with four top prizes of $4 million and six $100,000 prizes. Three $4 million prizes and five $100,000 prizes remain to be won.
Ticket sales from scratch-offs make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million per year for education. For details on how $10 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Iredell County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.