Jack Woodyard of Cary won $25,000 a year for life playing the lottery’s Lucky for Life draw game.
This winning ticket beat the odds of one to 1.8 million to match all five white balls in the May 2 drawing. Woodyard, who worked at the BJ’s Membership Club on Walnut Street in Cary, purchased the lucky ticket at work after his shift.
He claimed his prize Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. Winners are guaranteed $25,000 a year for life and have the option of taking a lump sum of $390,000. Woodyard chose the lump sum option. After federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $275,923.
Woodyard won the second-place prize of $25,000 A Year For Life. Lucky for Life has 10 ways to win a prize playing the game. 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 $650 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.