Diana Pereira of Salisbury tried her luck on a $30 scratch-off and pocketed a $1 million prize.
Pereira bought the lucky Millionaire Maker ticket from SV Discount on Stokes Ferry Road in Salisbury. When she arrived at lottery headquarters Thursday to collect her prize, she had a decision to make. She could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. She chose the lump-sum amount of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $426,069.
The Millionaire Maker game launched in March 2021. Pereira became the 29th person to win one of the $1 million prizes.
Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education. For details on how $7.4 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Rowan County in 2021, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.