Thomas Patterson of Newport took home the second-place prize in the Dec. 31 Lucky for Life drawing, winning $25,000 A Year for Life.

Patterson purchased his winning ticket from Waves Mart on N.C. 24 in Newport. His ticket matched all five white balls, beating odds of one in 1.8 million.

Winners of the second-place prize are guaranteed $25,000 every year for life, or have the option of taking a lump sum of $390,000.

Patterson opted for the lump sum and claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Wednesday. He took home $275,932 after required federal and state tax withholdings.

Lucky for Life is one of four lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets through Online Play either through the lottery’s website or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.

Lucky for Life tickets cost $2 and offers players 10 ways to win a prize. Drawings are held on Monday and Thursday nights. 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 $725 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have helped all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.