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Benjamin Dodge of Troy and his wife were running an errand when they decided to try their luck on a single Millionaire Maker ticket and scratched off a $1 million prize.

“Kind of stunned,” said Dodge of realizing his big win. “It feels like a dream.”

Dodge purchased his winning $30 ticket from the Tobacco Outlet on West Spring Street in Troy.

“My wife and I went home and both scratched a little here and there,” he said. “I scratched some, she scratched some.”

Dodge 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.

“We’ve been saving up money to get a house,” said Dodge. “So, I’m trying to get my family a home of their own. That’s my plan.”

Millionaire Maker is the first scratch-off to offer 30 $1 million prizes. Dodge became the fourth 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 $1.8 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Montgomery County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.