Dunn, N.C. — Dunn resident Dianna Sills always dreamed of owning a house on the beach.

That dream should be no problem after Sills won $1 million in a lottery scratch-off game last week.

North Carolina Education Lottery officials said Monday that Sills’ brother bought a Ruby Red 7's instant ticket at the Kangaroo Express on Long Branch Road in Dunn.

She scratched off the $10 ticket Wednesday before starting her work day as a customer service sales representative.

“It’s like you’re in a dream,” Sills said in a statement released by the lottery. “I don’t really know how to explain it.”

Sills chose to take her winnings as lump sum of $600,000 after taxes, instead of annuity payments of $50,000 a year for 20 years, lottery officials said.

Sills said she was undecided about what she’ll do with the money, but the beach house is under consideration.
“The big thing I thought I’d always like to do is buy a house at the beach,” she said. “That was my dream.”

Lottery officials are still waiting for the winner of a $2 million Powerball ticket sold in Raleigh last week to come forward.

The lucky shopper purchased the ticket for Wednesday’s drawing at the supermarket on Leesville Road. The $3 Power Play ticket matched all five white balls but not the Powerball in Wednesday’s drawing, beating odds of 1 in 5.1 million.

On Tuesday, a Zebulon farmer claimed a $1.1 million Cash 5 drawing. It was the second win on the same game for Homer Buffaloe, who also split a $408,066 winning ticket in 2010.