Debra and John Whitaker of Cameron tried their luck on a $20 lottery ticket and won the first $2 million prize in a new scratch-off game.
They bought their lucky Big Cash Payout ticket from the Food Lion on Monroe Street in Carthage.
When they arrived at lottery headquarters Tuesday to collect their prize, they had a decision to make. They could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $100,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $1.2 million. They chose to split the lump-sum amount of $1.2 million. They both received $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, they each took home $427,503.
Big Cash Payout debuted last month with four $2 million prizes and eight $100,000 prizes. Three $2 million prizes and seven $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.
Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how $4.7 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Lee County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.