A typical morning routine for Edward Long of Yadkinville changed dramatically when he discovered his $2 Lucky for Life ticket won him a $25,000 a year for life prize.
“I got up in the morning and got my coffee and scone and then checked my ticket,” he recalled.
When he saw the big win, he rushed to tell his wife the good news.
“I told my wife and she said, ‘You’ve made a mistake,’” Long laughed.
Long bought his lucky ticket from Quality Mart on N.C. 67 in Jonesville. He won his prize by matching all five white balls in Tuesday’s drawing. The odds of winning that prize are 1 in 1.8 million. Long said he has never won a prize like this before.
“The most I’ve won before this was $500,” he said.
When Long arrived at lottery headquarters Wednesday, 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.
“Now I don’t have to worry about anything after this,” he said.
Long plans to use his winnings to pay some bills.
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.
Yadkin County received over $6 million in grants using money raised by the lottery to help with school construction at several schools. For details on other ways Yadkin County benefits from lottery funds, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.
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