Robeson County Man Wins $25k A Year for Life Off of Lotto Ticket Bought in Red Springs

It's always exciting when folks in our own backyard score a big-time lottery win. Congratulations to Robeson County resident John McNeill who recently lucked out with the North Carolina Education Lottery!

Luck was definitely on John's side last month when he stopped at the One Stop on East 4th Avenue in Red Springs. The ticket he purchased was part of NC Lottery's Lucky For Life lottery game, where the winner can secure $25,000 a year for the rest of their life.

John was able to win by matching all five white balls in that week's drawing. The odds of winning are 1 in 1.8 million. I'm not a very superstitious person, but if I were John I would never wash whatever socks I was wearing that day for the rest of time.

Soon after arriving at the lottery headquarters to claim his prize John was presented with a choice: either take the $25,000 for life prize, or accept a lump sum of $390,000. John chose the latter and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, walked out with a staggering payday of nearly $280,000.

According to a news release on the NC Lottery website, the state was able to use money raised by the lottery to provide over $59 million in grants. These funds will now be used to help Robeson County build a new career and technology high school.

For details on how Robeson and other counties throughout the state benefit from lottery funds, visit the Impact page on the website for the North Carolina Education Lottery.