Family-owned retailer thrilled that regular customer scored the game’s top prize
Olympia, Wash. (September 3, 2024) – M&M Mart, a gas station owned and operated by father and son duo, Lalit (Lucky) Mehta and Jatin Kumar Mehta, has been serving the Marysville community for the last three years. Since purchasing the store at 15218 Smokey Point Blvd, the Mehta family has built great relationships with several of their regular customers. Little did they know that they would end up selling a lottery ticket worth half-a-million dollars to one of these customers.
This “regular” has exclusively bought his Scratch tickets at M&M Mart since the Mehta family has owned the store, and he always makes sure to strike up a conversation with Lucky and Jatin at the front counter. One day, the customer came in and purchased a $20 Six Figures Scratch ticket from Jatin, which he scratched and took straight to the Lottery Vending Machine to scan. When the words “See Washington’s Lottery Regional Office” appeared on the screen, the customer re-approached Jatin and asked if he could scan the ticket. To their amazement, it turned out to be worth the game’s top prize: $500,000.
The sale of the winning Six Figures Scratch ticket marks the first big win for M&M Mart under the Mehta family’s ownership.
“This is an exciting milestone for us,” said Jatin. “I am thrilled for our customer and am hopeful that this is just the beginning of many more wins for our store.”
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. Players can find Washington’s Lottery retail locations here.
Who Benefits
Since 1982, Washington’s Lottery has generated more than $5.3 billion to support several important state programs, including providing much-needed funds for the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account (WOPA). In FY23, WOPA received $199.9 million from the Lottery. Of this, $139.1 million helped fund the Washington College Grant, a financial aid program that supported more than 29,000 college students and apprentices across the state last year. Another $2.5 million helped fund the College Bound program to help eligible students attain a college or training degree or credential.
Washington’s Lottery Beneficiary Fact
Washington’s Lottery is proud to be a financial supporter of the Washington Student Achievement Council, which administers state financial aid programs. WSAC leads a variety of initiatives to increase educational opportunities for students, families, and educators across the state, with a particular focus on increasing equity by reaching communities of color and students from low-income families. The $141.6 million investment made in FY23 by the Lottery helps fund the Washington College Grant and College Bound programs, in order to improve access to postsecondary attainment for students across Washington.
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, Cash POP, 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