RALEIGH – Herbert Williams Jr. of High Point plans to purchase a new home and a vehicle after winning the top prize in the lottery’s $500 a Week for Life! game.
The 52-year-old Williams purchased the lucky $1 ticket at the Food Lion on North Main Street in High Point on Dec. 29.

“I was sitting at home scratching the ticket and I just about fell on the floor,” Williams said as he collected his winnings on Thursday. “I was in the right place at the right time, I guess.”

The $500 a Week for Life! top prize guarantees winners an annual prize of $26,000 for the rest of their lives. The winner can also choose a lump sum cash prize, worth $354,000, instead of the annuity. Williams chose the lump sum option and received a check for $244,968 after state and federal taxes were withheld.

“I’m going to get a new home and I’ll probably look for a deal on a used truck,” Williams said. “I feel pretty good. I’m going to live a little better than I was before I won. This really does help a lot.”

The game is one of four that offer as prizes annual payments that continue through a winner’s life. The tickets are available for $1, $2, $5, and $10 per play.

As of September 2013, the lottery has raised more than $3 billion to support education programs. Lottery dollars support teachers’ salaries in grades K-3, school construction and repair projects, prekindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, need-based college scholarships and financial aid and digital learning initiatives.

To see how more than $153.6 million in lottery dollars have made a difference in Guilford County, go to the Where the Money Goes webpage at http://www.nc-educationlottery.org/beneficiary.aspx.