Kentucky Man Wins $25K Lottery Prize for Life – Using the Same Numbers for 9 Years

"I’ve been stressing for the last six months,” Billy Glenn said of life before his lottery win

 Kentucky Lottery Mary Harville, Kentucky Lottery President and CEO with Lucky For Life winner, Billy Glenn

Kentucky Lottery

Mary Harville, Kentucky Lottery President and CEO with Lucky For Life winner, Billy Glenn

A Kentucky man is now a lottery winner for life thanks to his lucky numbers!

Lexington resident Billy Glenn has been using the same digits for nearly a decade each time he plays Lucky For Life and it finally paid off in a Nov. 19 lottery drawing — winning $25,000 a year for the remainder of his days.

Related: $842.4 Million Powerball Jackpot Winner Revealed as Michigan Lottery Group: 'Once-in-a-Lifetime'

Glenn purchased the winning ticket at Southland BP in Lexington, getting a perfect match to the five numbered white balls and won the game’s second prize.

His options are $25,000 a year for life with a minimum payout of 20 years, or $500,000.

“I’ve been playing for nine years, seven months and 29 days since the day I won Lucky For Life,” he told lottery officials, adding that he started playing on the first day of sales on March 22, 2015.

“I’ve just been waiting for the dream,” he added.

Glenn’s lottery winning formula was using anniversaries and jersey numbers of his favorite major league baseball players.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

He told lottery officials he was at home when he found out that he was the winner, but was just one number away from claiming the grand prize rather than second place.

“I looked at my ticket and I’m like, I’ve got the Lucky Ball (13) and 10 on one line,” Glenn recalled.

Related: Illinois Mom Wins $1.4M Lottery Jackpot Using Kids' Birthdays as Numbers: ‘Absolutely Wackadoodle!’

Glenn watched as the other set of numbers was announced, soon realizing his first five numbers were an exact Lucky For Life match. Unfortunately, the Lucky Ball number was 13, and he’d picked 12.

“I was that close from getting it all,” he said. The top prize is $1,000 a day for life, terms and conditions apply.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Still, Glenn is thankful for his win ahead of the holiday season.

“It’s been a blessing. I’ve been stressing for the last six months,” he said, adding that the money will go toward paying off debt and fixing his home.

According to the official Lucky For Life website, Glenn opted for the cash payout of $390,000. After taxes, he received a check for $280,804.32.

“One hundred thousand dollars is going to put me at ground zero,” Glenn told officials. “This is a nice little reset.”

Southland BP will receive $5,000 for selling the winning ticket.