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By NC Education Lottery

Ola Gurganus of Bath tried her luck on a $10 ticket and couldn’t believe her eyes when it revealed a $1 million prize.

“I was shocked, I really was,” she said of seeing her $1 million prize. “I really couldn’t think straight.”

Gurganus purchased her lucky Jumbo Bucks ticket from the Bath General Store & Market on Carteret Street in Bath.

She claimed her prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.

“I didn’t think I’d ever come to Raleigh to the lottery but now I have,” said Gurganus. “And I hope I make it back!”

She had the choice of taking the $1 million as an annuity of 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000. Gurganus opted for the lump sum of $600,000 and took home $424,503 after required state and federal tax withholdings.

She plans to share some of the prize money with her children.

Jumbo Bucks launched in April with eight top prizes of $1 million. Five top prizes remain to be won.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games like Jumbo Bucks make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million a year for education. For details on how $2.7 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Beaufort County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.