North Carolina Man Turns $2 Ticket Into $25,000 A Year For Life

$25000 a year for life.  On one hand, I get it.  When it comes to some of the astronomical lottery winnings we've heard about in the recent days, it doesn't sound like a whole heck of a lot.  That being said, don't like that it's not "life changing."

Look at it this way, how many times is there too much month at the end of the money?  More often than any of us care to think about, right?  Now, how much could this be eased if you knew you had an extra two grand each month as padding?  See?!

Beulaville resident Harold Eubanks was just a normal guy like you and me until last Thursday.  That's when he picked up a $2 ticket for The North Carolina Education Lottery's $25000 A Year For Life game.  Then, he matched all five of those magic, little white balls.  Now, Harold Eubanks is not so normal anymore.  The odds of winning $25000 a year for life is 1 in 1.8 million.

Now came the big decision.  As with most lottery windfalls, Harold Eubanks' $25000 a year for life, he had the option of accepting the prize as it states OR collecting a one-time lump sum of $390,000.  I can't speak for everyone but should this sort of luck ever come down my street, it's not even a decision.  A bolt of lightning could strike me tomorrow.  A frozen piece of airline toilet waste could fall through my roof next week.  You get the idea.  No one is promised tomorrow.  Give me the lump sum.

Harold Eubanks and I are apparently brothers from different mothers as that's exactly the choice he made.  After Uncle Sam and the state of North Carolina both took their taste, Harold walked away with a deposit-to-be of $278, 853.

For those that think $25000 a year for life is not life-changing, how do you feel about a check for 278K?

There are some states that are luckier than others. There is no doubt about it. North Carolina made the list of 15 lucky states in the United States, according to OLBG. Everyone has fantasized about winning the lottery, whether it's the Mega Millions or the Powerball. Whether you're planning a lavish vacation, buying a house, treating a loved one, giving to charity, or all of the above, when we buy a ticket we always have a little bit of hope and our imaginations go wild when we hear about the unclaimed winning ticket...

When it comes to winning big on the lottery, which states are the luckiest? To determine where in America has the greatest likelihood of winning the big bucks, OLBG analyzed all lottery winners in the U.S. with a jackpot of $300 million or more. You can see the top 15 states below.

California was ranked 12th luckiest state despite having the highest number of big lottery winners, primarily because the state has such a large population that there are very few lottery winners, and the average winning ticket for a California winner is only $190.5 million.

North Carolina has won a whopping $1.1 billion between both lottery winners, making its average winning ticket $550 million, the highest in the country. As a result of its higher population, North Carolina didn't quite capture the title by itself, with a lower percentage of its population winning than New Hampshire.

In terms of lottery jackpot winners, New Hampshire and North Carolina share the gold for the luckiest states. Residents in New Hampshire have won a total of $693.7 million, which is an average of $346.85 million per winning ticket. As one of the states with the highest percentage of people who have won over $300 million, New Hampshire has the third smallest population.