Brunswick County man phones in NC lottery win

Every time he plays the lottery, John Ross picks up his phone.

No, he's not making a call. According to a news release from the North Carolina Lottery, he's using the phone as a tool.

“I just close my eyes and point at random numbers,” Ross said in the release.

The strategy paid off as he was playing the Lucky for Life game. Ross bought the lucky $2 ticket using Online Play, the release stated, and won his prize by matching all five white balls in the July 14 drawing.

“The day of the drawing was actually my wife’s birthday,” Ross said in the release. “It’s hard to believe.”

Ross, 56, said he likes to play Lucky for Life the same way each time, purchasing a single ticket.

Ross claimed his prize at lottery headquarters Friday and had the choice of receiving $25,000 a year for the rest of his life or a $390,000 lump sum. According to the release, he chose the $390,000 lump sum and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $278,851.

“This will help get me to where I need to be for retirement,” he said.

Ross said he also plans to use his winnings to pay bills and donate to charity.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Brunswick County man phones in NC lottery win