Kenneth Kiriazes of Zebulon bought a Lucky for Life ticket about a month ago, left it in his truck and, after finally checking it Sunday, was stunned to find a $25,000 a year for life prize waiting for him.
“I did that happy dance,” Kiriazes said. “Something like this is a blessing.”
Kiriazes, 64, bought his lucky $2 Quick Pick ticket for the Aug. 23 drawing from Swift Mart on Marshburn Road in Wendell.
“I was stunned,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep last night.”
A big fan of fishing, Kiriazes said he wants to put some of his winnings toward a fishing trip.
“I’m planning a Key West trip for April to do some fishing down there,” he said.
Kiriazes claimed his prize at lottery headquarters Monday and had the choice of receiving $25,000 a year each year for the rest of his life or a $390,000 lump sum. He chose the lump sum and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $276,990.
In addition to his fishing trip, he said he wants to put a new back deck on his house.
Kiriazes won his prize by matching all five white balls in the drawing. The odds of winning the $25,000 a year for life prize are 1 in 1,813,028.
Lucky for Life is one of four lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets through a retail location or Online Play, either through the lottery’s website or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Lucky for Life tickets are $2 and drawings are held every night.
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