HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. -- Chandu Patel calls the North Carolina lottery a winner. He’s sold tickets from the beginning at his Quality Food Mart in the middle of Holly Springs.  He’s hoping his lottery ticket business will jump when word gets out a $1million winning ticket was sold in his store last week.

 “People are already excited,” said Patel, laughing as he waited on customers. “That’s what we need all the time -- big prizes, big excitement.”

 As the North Carolina lottery approaches its second birthday, lottery officials agree.

 “It’s been a challenge for us, because of lotteries in all the border states,” said Tom Shaheen, the director of the North Carolina Education Lottery. “If we missed anything it was allowing for that.”

 The lottery sold $890 million worth of tickets last fiscal year.

 Since its creation, the games have generated $530 million for schools.  Another payment for schools is due in April. But sales started slow, and only pick up when prizes are big. Lottery officials tracked that, and last year persuaded the General Assembly to allow bigger prizes.  The larger payouts stated in November, and sales are up.

 Right now,  sales are $68 million ahead of this time last year.

 “That’s what North Carolina wanted, an education lottery.  And that is what we’re trying to do, but to do that we need to sell tickets and to sell tickets people need to win.”