RALEIGH – Terry McLamb, a Vietnam War veteran from Wake Forest, plans to pay off his mortgage after winning the top prize in the lottery’s $1,000 a Week for Life! game.

McLamb works as a marketing coordinator for Armco, his daughter’s general contracting company. He purchased the lucky $2 ticket while stopping for a hot dog at the Circle K on Millbrook Road in Raleigh on Monday.

“I was sitting in the car scratching the ticket and I saw I had won something,” McLamb said. “When I saw the word ‘life’ I knew what I had won. I’ve always thought a big win was in my future. I’ve been dreaming of this for 20 years and today my dream has come true.”

The $1,000 a Week for Life! top prize guarantees winners an annual prize of $52,000 for the rest of their lives. The winner can also choose a lump sum cash prize, worth $708,000, instead of the annuity. McLamb chose the lump sum option and received a check for $489,936 after state and federal taxes were withheld.

“I’m a happy man,” McLamb said as he held his check for the first time. “I’m going to pay for a nice family vacation. And with Memorial Day coming up, I’ll be making a donation to a charity for veterans.”

The $1,000 a Week for Life! game went on sale on Feb. 18 with three top prizes. As of Tuesday morning, two more top prizes remain to be claimed in the game.

Ticket sales have made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $3.3 billion for the state. Net proceeds are used for prekindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, teachers’ salaries in grades K-3, school construction, digital learning initiatives, need-based college scholarships and financial aid.

For details on how more than $233.6 million in lottery funds have made a difference in Wake County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.