Every year for the rest of his life, 33-year-old DaQuawn Griffin of Rocky Mount will get a check for $25,000 after winning the second prize in the lottery’s Lucky For Life game.

Griffin said he’s “a big fan of the game” because he likes the “for life” prize the game offers and the odds for winning them. Griffin beat odds of one in 1.8 million to win the game’s second prize in Thursday’s drawing. He bought the $2 ticket at the Sharpsburg Grocery on South Hathaway Boulevard in Sharpsburg.

Winners of the $25,000 A Year For Life prize also have the option of taking a cash payout of $390,000. Griffin chose the “for life” prize option. He received his first check of $25,000 Friday and after federal and state tax withholdings he took home $17,375.

“I took the annuity because I just had a newborn,” Griffin said. “And that’s the best decision for me and my family.”

Griffin’s win was the biggest in Thursday’s drawing. It also marked back-to-back wins of the $25,000 A Year For Life prize for tickets purchased in North Carolina. In Monday’s drawing, a ticket sold at the Harris Teeter on West Mallard Creek Church Road in Charlotte won the second prize. Lucky for Life drawings are held twice a week on Monday and Thursday nights.

Players win the $25,000 A Year For Life prize by matching all five white balls. Griffin is the 11th player in North Carolina to claim the game’s second prize since the game started here in February 2016.

In all there are 10 ways to win a prize playing Lucky For Life, which is offered by 25 U.S. lotteries. The game’s top prize is $1,000 A Day For Life.

Ticket sales from games like Lucky For Life make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.