RALEIGH – Many people wake up Friday happy that the weekend is near. Someone who played Lucky for Life in North Carolina last night is waking up a winner of the prize that lasts a lifetime: $1,000 a Day for Life.

It is the first time since Lucky for Life came to North Carolina in February that a ticket sold here has won the game’s top prize. Twenty U.S. lotteries sell tickets for the game.

“We are thrilled that someone in our state has won the prize of a lifetime,” said executive director Alice Garland. “$1,000 a Day for Life could add up to $10 million, $15 million or more.”

The winning ticket was sold at the Citgo Fast Stop #2 on Andrews Street in Salisbury. It beat odds of 1 in 30.8 million to match all six numbers drawn. The winning numbers were 4-5-9-28-37 for the white balls and 14 for the gold Lucky Ball.

The winner has the option to claim the prize as a lump sum of $5.75 million. The annuity prize is guaranteed for at least 20 years to the winner’s estate or heirs. But the annuity payments will continue for the rest of the winner’s life.

In the nine months since Lucky for Life tickets went on sale here, nine North Carolina players have won the game’s second prize of $25,000 a Year for Life and 71 more have won $5,000 prizes.

Games like Lucky for Life make it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars a year for education. To discover how those funds make a difference in every county, visit nclottery.com and click on the “For Education” page.