An Oakland County man checked his Lucky For Life ticket 10 times before he finally believed his eyes:  He had won $25,000 a year for life.

Donovan Yaldo, of Commerce Township, matched the five white balls drawn on Aug. 31 – 08-10-16-22-25 – to win the big prize. He bought his winning ticket at the Shell gas and convenience store, located at 2970 East Long Lake Road in Troy.

Yaldo said he still was struggling to believe that he was a big winner, even as he was collecting his prize at Lottery headquarters in Lansing.  “I’m still waiting for the reality to sink in,” he said. He added that he didn’t have any immediate plans for his windfall immediately, but knew the money would allow him to live more comfortably.

Yaldo, 31, choose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum cash payment of $390,000. He could have chosen payments of $25,000 annually for 20 years or for life, whichever is greater.

Michigan players have won more than $8 million so far playing Lucky For Life, including six $25,000 a year for life winners, and 45 $5,000 winners. Each Lucky For Life drawing is producing about 15,000 winners on average in Michigan.

For just $2 per play, Lucky For Life gives Lottery players a chance to win prizes ranging from $3 to a lifetime of cash. To win the game’s top prize of $1,000 a day for life, players must match all five winning numbers ranging from 1 to 48, plus one Lucky Ball ranging from 1 to 18. Players who match all five winning numbers, but not the Lucky Ball, will win $25,000 a year for life. Lucky For Life drawings take place every Monday and Thursday at 10:35 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at Lottery retailers across the state.