Lydell McRae of Shannon tried his luck on a Lucky for Life ticket and won a $25,000 a year for life prize.

He bought his lucky $2 ticket for the July 20 drawing from B&G Grocery on Rennert Road in Shannon. The odds of matching all five white balls are 1 in 1.8 million.

McRae claimed his prize Monday and had the choice of receiving $25,000 a year for the rest of his life or a $390,000 lump sum. He chose the $390,000 lump sum and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $277,875.

Lucky for Life is one of six lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets through a retail location or Online Play. Lucky for Life drawings are held every night.

Ticket sales from draw games make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.5 million a day on average for education. The state provided $50 million in grants, using money raised by the lottery, to help Robeson County build a new career and technology high school. For details on other ways Robeson County benefits from lottery funds, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.