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RALEIGH – Mychael Patterson of Kannapolis was having breakfast when he learned his $2 Lucky for Life ticket beat odds of one in 1.8 million to win $25,000 A Year for Life in the June 15 drawing.

The day before the drawing, Patterson stopped at Sandy Ridge Service LLC, his usual stop for lottery tickets, and purchased a few Quick Pick tickets.

Patterson said he uses his NC Lottery Official Mobile app to check his tickets every morning when he gets up. On June 16, he decided to check his tickets over breakfast.

“When I scanned it, it said take it to the lottery headquarters,” said Patterson. “And I said, ‘Well it’s more than $100,000!’ So I went to the website and pulled up the numbers and looked at them several times. As matter of fact, I looked at them last night to make sure they hadn’t changed! It was pretty good, I’m still in awe about it.”

Patterson, who works as a truck driver, claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.

Winners are guaranteed $25,000 every year for life or can choose to take a lump sum of $390,000. Patterson chose the lump sum and after federal and state tax withholdings he took home $275,929.

“With the amount of money I won, I can prepare to retire,” said Patterson. “I’m still gonna work as long as I feel like working. I’ll share some of it around to different people, because I feel good about it and I’m gonna make them feel good, too.”

Lucky for Life has 10 ways to win a prize and drawings are held on Monday and Thursday nights. Patterson won the second-place prize. The top prize is $1,000 A Day for Life.

Ticket sales from draw games like Lucky for Life make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $729 million per year for education. For details on how $7.5 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Rowan County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.