A lucky man won the lottery with the same numbers he has been using for seven years.
Paul Caudill’s patience finally paid off after repeating the digits on the “Lucky for Life” game since it began in 2016.
After hitting the jackpot by matching all five white balls on the draw, he had the choice of receiving a $390,000 (£306,865) lump sum or $25,000 (£19,670) a year for the rest of his life.
Caudill, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, opted for the big amount, which mean that, after state and federal taxes, he took home $277,879 (£218,645).
Caudill said he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the winning numbers come up in the North Carolina Education Lottery draw.
He said: “I figured there must be an error. I couldn’t sleep the rest of the night.”
Caudill added: “I’ve been playing the same numbers every day since the game started. The numbers are all different birthdays for people in my family.”
When asked what he plans to do with his winnings, he said: “I can pay my house off now.”
Caudill bought his winning $2 (£1.50) ticket at the One Stop convenience store on West Mountain Street in Kernersville Town.
Last month, a 65-year-old lorry driver won the lottery just three days after retiring. Paul Bashaw, who comes from West Boylston in Massachusetts, bought the winning ticket just days after informing his employer of over 20 years of his plans to retire at the end of the following week.
He purchased a $5,000,000 100X Cashword scratch card on 20 July and was stunned to scoop $1m (£786,940).
The lorry driver claimed his winnings at the Massachusetts Lottery headquarters in Dorchester on 28 July – his last day at work.
Bashaw, who turns 66 later this year, told Massachusetts Lottery: “There were three things in life I never thought I’d see happen: The Patriots winning the Super Bowl, getting a hole in one - that happened five years ago - and hitting the lottery.
“And now I’ve hit all three!”
He opted for a one-time payment of $650,000 (£511,511) before taxes.
