Wendell James of Tabor City plans to share his $1 million Millionaire Maker prize with his family.

“I have a close-knit family, so I’m going to share it with my family, my brothers and sisters,” said James of his plans for the prize money. “I’ll be able to help them like they’ve been helping us all our lives.”

It was Saturday afternoon when James purchased his winning $30 ticket from Vasco on East 5th Street in Tabor City.

“I was in the den at home when I scratched it off,” he recalled. “My family was sitting there and we just got excited.”

He claimed his prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.

“It feels fantastic,” he said of his win.

James had the option of taking the $1 million as an annuity of $50,000 a year over 20 years, or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum and took home $424,509 after required federal and state tax withholdings.

Millionaire Maker is the first scratch-off to offer 30 $1 million prizes. James became the fifth person to win one of those $1 million prizes.

Ticket sales from scratch-offs like Millionaire Maker make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million a year for education. For details on how $3.1 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Columbus County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.