By LES HIGH

Thursday, thousands of people across the state will be scratching, but it won’t be from mosquito bites.

The first phase of the North Carolina Educational Lottery begins at 6 a.m. Scratch-off games like Tic Tac Toe, Blackjack, Carolina Cash and North Carolina lottery cards will be available at approximately 5,000 North Carolina stores -- 46 in Columbus County.

Bob Shatto, vice president of Sam’s Pit Stop stores, said that while he doesn’t expect long lines at 6 a.m. when the lottery terminals open, he does expect a big rush for the first few days, perhaps for even a month.

“It’s all new to everybody,” Shatto said. “There will be some frustrations for our customers because of the lines and some frustrations for our employees because they’ve just been trained. It’ll be a bit of a fad for a while, but then I expect things to get back to normal. There are 22 stores in Whiteville, so that will spread things out some.”

Lottery prizes in the four scratch-off games will range from $1 or a free ticket at the bottom of the scale to $100,000. Players shouldn’t hold their breaths for the $100,000 prizes. The Lottery Commission estimates the odds of winning are one in 2.88 million. The chance of winning a prize in Tic Tac Toe is one in 4.86.

The cost of a card for the high-dollar Carolina Cash game is $5. Blackjack cards are $2 and North Carolina lottery cards and Tic Tac Toe are $1 each.

The top Tic Tac Toe and N.C. Lottery card prizes are $5,000. The top Blackjack prize is $21,0000.

Most prizes can be redeemed at local outlets, but prizes of $600 or more must be redeemed at a regional center – there’s one in Wilmington – or by mail.

Retailers get 7 percent of the gross amount of ticket sales.

Powerball, a multi-state lottery game where the winnings can be in the millions, will begin in North Carolina on May 30. Four new scratch-off games will be introduced later in the year.

Residents with questions about the games can call the Lottery Commission at 1-877-962-7529. A list of places to play the lottery is available at the web site.

Taxes must be paid on winnings. The federal tax will take up to 39 percent of some major winnings. The state tax is 7 percent.

Winning tickets are good for up to 90 days. Lottery officials urge winners to immediately sign their tickets, especially those in larger amounts, in case the ticket is lost.

Players must be at least 18.

The state hopes to raise $1.2 billion annually in lottery sales for education, and plans are still being made about how the money will be spent. Reducing class sizes and pre-K education are expected to be two beneficiaries. Forty percent will go to build new schools and 10 percent for college scholarships.
The N.C. Problem Gambling Hotline is 1-(877)-718-5543. It will operate 24 hours a day starting Thursday.

For more information about the lottery, go to lottery.nc.gov