RALEIGH – One thing that Allen Boone Jr., a farm worker from Hubert, has to be thankful for this year is the good luck that made him the first player to win the top prize in the lottery’s All or Nothing game. He matched all 12 numbers in the Nov. 14 drawing to win $250,000.

“I usually play Cash 5,” Boone said. “But the jackpot wasn’t very high so I looked at the new All or Nothing game. I liked that you could win a big prize, so I bought a Quick Pick ticket. Best two dollars I ever spent.”

Boone learned of his win the morning after the drawing when he stopped by Hunter’s Crossing on Belgrade Swansboro Road in Hubert to check his ticket.

“The clerk said I needed to claim the prize in Raleigh,” Boone said. “I thought I’d won maybe a thousand dollars. She printed out the numbers for me and I checked them when I got home. I had every single number, right in a row.”

Boone said he plans to use his winnings to share with his immediate family and, if there’s anything leftover, take a trip to see a live MotoGP motorcycle race and pay off the loan on his Ford truck. After state and federal taxes were withheld, Boone received a check for $173,000.

As he collected his winnings, Boone spoke about how the lottery helps education in North Carolina.

“I like that the lottery money goes to help the schools,” Boone said. “If I play and don’t win, I look at it as a donation to the kids.”

The new All or Nothing game started in September as part of the lottery’s effort to raise more money this year for education. The lottery’s goal is to raise $520 million.

To play All or Nothing, players choose 12 out of 24 numbers. They can win the $250,000 top prize if they match all 12 numbers drawn or if they match none of the numbers drawn. The game offers 10 ways to win with prizes that begin at $2 and go to $250,000. Tickets cost $2 each and drawings occur every day at approximately 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 2,704,156 and the approximate overall odds of winning including breakeven prizes are 1 in 4.54.

Ticket sales have made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $3.5 billion for the state. North Carolina Education Lottery net proceeds will be used this year to help pay salaries of teachers and teacher assistants, for pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, school construction and repair, and need-based college scholarships and financial aid.

For details on how more than $47 million in lottery funds have made a difference in Onslow County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.