A coincidence in name caught winner’s eye
Olympia, Wash. (June 27, 2023) – While grabbing groceries from her local Safeway, long-time Snohomish resident J.L. decided to stop by the Washington’s Lottery vending machine to purchase some lottery tickets. Using the $20 she had won playing another lottery game, she purchased a ticket for a Scratch game she had never seen before, Let It Ride. The game caught J.L.’s eye because she and her mother share a favorite casino game with the same name. Little did she know that this coincidence would lead her to win a whopping $1 million prize.
After purchasing the Scratch ticket, J.L loaded up her groceries into her car and sat down in the front seat to start scratching. As the prize amount appeared in her hands, she couldn’t believe her eyes. J.L went back into the grocery store to double check with the Safeway employees, who confirmed she had indeed won $1 million. Still in disbelief, J.L. called her husband to share the news of their new fortune and the wild coincidence in game names. It took him a minute to believe the news, but his shock soon turned into excitement.
J.L plans to use her winnings to take a cruise with her husband, which has been on the couple’s bucket list for some time.
Washington’s Lottery offers Scratch games priced between $1 and $30, each with varying prize amounts. The number of actual prizes available in a game may vary based on the number of tickets printed, tested, distributed, sold, and number of prizes claimed.
Making a Difference in Washington State
Since 1982, Washington’s Lottery has generated more than $4.5 billion to support several important state programs, including providing much-needed funds for the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account (WOPA). In FY21, WOPA received $185.7 million from the Lottery, enough to pay college tuition for more than 18,000 Washington residents. It also provided approximately 25% of the annual budget for the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, which provides critical services to more than 15,000 children at 440 locations across Washington.
Washington’s Lottery Beneficiary Fact – April 2022
Washington’s Lottery is very proud to be a financial supporter of the state’s Early Childhood Education & Assistance Program (ECEAP). The $40 million annual investment the lottery makes in ECEAP has lasting effects. Children who participate in ECEAP are more likely to be kindergarten-ready than non-participants, and those who participate five or more hours per day are especially prepared in reading and math.* Children in state-funded pre-K programs like ECEAP see long-lasting positive effects, including increased grade progression, high school graduation and college enrollment.**
About Washington’s Lottery: The state’s Lottery offers consumers several types of games, including Mega Millions, Powerball, Lotto, Hit 5, Match 4, Pick 3, Daily Keno and Scratch. For more information, visit www.walottery.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @walottery.
Keep it fun. Know your limit. Washington’s Lottery is an advocate for responsible gaming and collaborates with the Evergreen Council for Problem Gambling to provide resources for those in need. More information is available at www.walottery.com/Responsibility.
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Press Contacts
Dan Miller (Curator on behalf of Washington’s Lottery)
E-mail: dan.miller@curatorpr.com
Xiamara Garza (Curator on behalf of Washington’s Lottery)
E-mail: xiamara.garza@curatorpr.com
* Early Learning Feedback Report. https://erdc.wa.gov/data-dashboards/early-learning-feedback-report-0
** Boston Public Schools Department of Early Childhood. (n.d.). Boston universal pre-K. Retrieved June 9, 2021, from https://www.bpsearlylearning.org/boston-upk