Denise Hernandez of Wake Forest will get $25,000 a year for the rest of her life, after she won a Lucky for Life prize.

Hernandez won the prize in the August 26 drawing. Her dad bought her a $2 Quick Pick ticket at the Harris Teeter on Capital Boulevard in Wake Forest.

Hernandez claimed her prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. Winners are guaranteed $25,000 a year for life and have the option of taking a lump sum of $500,000. Hernandez chose the annuity and received her first yearly payment. After federal and state tax withholdings, she took home $17,688.

Her ticket matched the five white balls to win the prize. It beat odds of one in 1.8 million. Lucky for Life has 10 ways to win a prize. Hernandez won the second-place prize of $25,000 A Year For Life. The top prize is $1,000 A Day For Life.
Ticket sales from games like Lucky for Life made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education. To learn how lottery funds made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties last year, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.