Winner and his fiancée use their newfound fortune to make an offer on their dream home and it gets accepted days later
Olympia, WA (April 14, 2025) – For one Bothell man, this year’s April Fools’ Day was a memorable one – and not because of the reason you expect.
In late March, S.M.W. visited the 76 gas station located at 19611 Alderwood Mall Parkway in Lynnwood to buy a few lottery tickets, but he saw one of the Scratch tickets he planned on getting was sold out. Instead, he grabbed another game that caught his eye – a $2,000,000 Jackpot Scratch ticket – which turned out to be a life-changing decision.
“Later that day, I tried checking my tickets but couldn’t see if I had won on this particular ticket, so I called the Lottery office. As they were verifying, I jokingly said ‘hopefully it’s one of those $2 million ones!’” said S.M.W. “They said it was – and I just started screaming. My fiancée came downstairs because she thought something was wrong.”
Several days later, S.M.W. told a few family members about his win and was immediately met with disbelief. Since April 1 was around the corner, they were sure he was pulling an April Fools’ joke. It took some convincing before they finally believed he had in fact won the game’s top prize.
Thanks to their big win, S.M.W. and his fiancée have a second reason to celebrate. A few days after claiming their $2 million prize, they toured a house they loved, put an offer on it, and learned that their offer was accepted.
“None of this would be possible without Washington’s Lottery,” said S.M.W. “The timing just aligned perfectly.”
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. The Lottery’s primary beneficiary is the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account (WOPA), which provides much-needed funding for programs including early childhood education, the Washington College Grant and College Bound program, Washington Award for Vocational Excellence, GET Ready for Math and Science scholarships, and more. These programs help provide critical services and support to thousands of Washington residents each year and help improve their lives.
Beneficiary Fact
Washington’s Lottery is proud to be a financial supporter of the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), 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 Lottery also proudly supports the state’s Early Childhood Education & Assistance Program (ECEAP), a state-funded pre-K program that helps children become kindergarten-ready by building early skills in reading, math and science. The program works closely with parents to support their children’s health and education.
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