Top prizes of $1 million, $250,000, and $50,000 make for an early holiday gift for winners from Bothell, Gold Bar and Spanaway
Olympia, Wash. (December 18, 2024) – The holiday season just got a whole lot merrier for three Western Washingtonians, as they recently took home the top prizes for three different Scratch games from Washington’s Lottery.
Nate, a long-time Bothell resident, typically sticks to lower-priced Scratch tickets, but while at a Safeway in Mill Creek, he decided to switch things up and purchased a $20 Diamond Dazzler ticket. He and his girlfriend were in their car when Nate scratched his ticket and saw one of his numbers matched one of the game’s winning numbers. He couldn’t believe his eyes when the prize amount underneath it said “1MIL.”
Confused, he showed his girlfriend, who he says “freaked out” and confirmed he had just won the game’s top prize of $1 million. The two hugged and cried tears of joy. They plan to take a few nice vacations together, buy new cars, and invest for their future. Nate was also able to treat his girlfriend to a special dinner together since her birthday was that week.
Janice from Gold Bar and her husband stopped for gas one day and went into the Mountain Deli Mart next door to purchase some lottery tickets. As she browsed the different games on the Lottery Vending Machine, the new holiday-themed Scratch tickets caught her eye. She purchased a $10 It’s Gold Outside ticket, along with a few others, and went back to her car to scratch them.
The first ticket she scratched won her $4, so she was already happy, but nothing compared to what came next – when she scratched the It’s Gold Outside ticket, it revealed she won the game’s top prize of $250,000! In disbelief, Janice turned to her husband and asked him, “Is this what I think it is?” He confirmed and the two eagerly went to claim their prize early the next morning. Janice and her husband celebrated by having a nice dinner at home. They plan to use most of their winnings to reinvest in their business, pay off bills, and renovate one of their properties.
Pete A. from Spanaway has been a long-time lottery player, usually purchasing his weekly tickets at his local Fred Meyer. On this particular day, while heading out of town, he realized he missed his usual stop. Instead, he went to Barney & Bernie’s Grocery Deli to grab a few lottery tickets, including a $5 Minty Money holiday-themed ticket, before continuing on his road trip.
It wasn’t until Pete returned home a week later that he remembered his tickets and began to scratch them. Initially, he thought the Minty Money ticket wasn’t a winner, but he decided to double check using the Washington’s Lottery app on his phone. As he took another sip of his morning coffee, he nearly spit it out – the app revealed a $50,000 win! Looking closer at his ticket, he realized he had missed that one of his numbers matched one of the game’s winning numbers, earning him the top prize.
In shock, Pete immediately called his girlfriend to share the news, but she thought he was joking. It wasn’t until he sent her a photo of the ticket that she believed him. Pete says he plans to use some of his winnings as extra spending money for an upcoming trip to Europe with his girlfriend and will invest the rest.
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