Stacy Radford of Maury plans to buy a home after his $2 Lucky for Life ticket won him a $25,000 a year for life prize.

He said he didn’t believe it initially when he found out he won.

“I was half asleep when I checked,” Radford recalled. “I just kept thinking, ‘Something can’t be right here.’”

Radford bought his lucky ticket from the Speedway on Kingold Boulevard in Snow Hill. He won his prize by matching all five white balls in Monday’s drawing. The odds of winning that prize are 1 in 1.8 million.

“I used birthday numbers to win,” he said. “It’s all from family members.”

When Radford arrived at lottery headquarters Friday, he had a decision to make. He could choose to receive $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 $279,826.

“I’m going to buy a home to live in,” Radford said.

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.

The N.C. Education Lottery’s Play Smart™ program helps North Carolinians make the most of their lottery play. Visit ncplaysmart.com to learn about all things lottery, from tips on how odds work to how to enter bonus drawings.