An Oscoda County man got the surprise of a lifetime when he logged in to his Michigan Lottery account and saw he’d won $25,000 a year for life playing the Lucky For Life game.

Ray Wcisel, of Mio, won the big prize when his Lucky For Life ticket matched the five white balls drawn on Oct. 1: 11-13-24-29-47. He bought the winning ticket online at MichiganLottery.com.

“I only purchase tickets online, and Lucky for Life is the game I like most,” said Wcisel. “I saw an email from the Lottery late one night about claiming a prize, but I assumed it was a phishing email. I logged in to my Lottery account to double check, and when I saw the prize pending in my account, I knew the email was real. It was the best feeling I’ve ever had!”

Wcisel, 62, visited Lottery headquarters recently to claim his prize. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time lump sum payment of $390,000, rather than annuity payments of $25,000 a year for 20 years or life, whichever is greater. He plans to invest his winnings.

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. Drawings take place at 10:38 p.m. seven days-a-week. Tickets may be purchased at Lottery retailers across the state and online at MichiganLottery.com.