Olympia, Wash., November 28, 2023—A Lynnwood resident just received the greatest gift from Washington’s Lottery this holiday season: a prize worth a quarter-of-a-million dollars.
While on his lunch break, R.W. stopped at his nearby 7-Eleven in Woodinville. While browsing the store’s selection of lottery Scratch tickets, a new game, Holiday Countdown, caught his eye due to its vibrant red, green and gold colors. Using the $20 he had won from another Scratch ticket the day prior, he purchased the holiday-themed ticket and tucked it safely away into his lunchbox. Afterwards, R.W. went back to work, not knowing that a $250,000 win was right around the corner.
Once he had wrapped up the day’s work, R.W. got in his truck to scratch his ticket. When he saw that one of the numbers on the last line of his ticket matched one of the winning numbers and the prize amount read $250,000, R.W. realized that he had won big. In disbelief, he rushed back inside and showed the ticket to his boss who confirmed he was the winner of the game’s top prize. Still in shock, R.W. called his wife who told him to sign the ticket and come pick her up so they could go to the Lottery Regional Office in Everett and claim the prize together.
The couple plans to celebrate the win by taking a trip to Montana to see friends. Following the trip, R.W. plans to use his winnings to buy a new home, pay off some debt, and contribute to his granddaughter’s medical expenses.
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 $5.0 billion to support several important state programs, including providing much-needed funds for the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account (WOPA). In FY22, WOPA received $176.6 million from the Lottery, enough to pay college tuition for more than 9,900 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
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.[i] Children in state-funded pre-K programs like ECEAP see long-lasting positive effects, including increased grade progression, high school graduation and college enrollment.[ii]
About Washington’s Lottery: The state’s Lottery offers players 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.
[i] Early Learning Feedback Report. https://erdc.wa.gov/data-dashboards/early-learning-feedback-report-0
[ii] Boston Public Schools Department of Early Childhood. (n.d.). Boston universal pre-K. Retrieved June 9, 2021, from https://www.bpsearlylearning.org/boston-upk
SOURCE: WA State Lottery
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
