OLYMPIA—M.B., a mother and master electrician from Lynnwood purchased a HIT 5 lottery ticket while out buying groceries. Months went by before her husband reminded her to check the ticket to see if it was a winner. To her surprise, her forgotten ticket turned out to be worth $135,000 and thanks to her win, she is now officially debt free!

On her route home from work, M.B., stopped at her local Fred Meyer in Lynnwood City Center to grab some groceries for dinner. On her way out from the Lynnwood Fred Meyer, she decided to buy a HIT 5 ticket the Lottery Vending Machine (LVM) and tucked it away as she went about her day.

A few months went by, and it wasn’t until the Lynnwood mother was reminded by her husband to check her ticket that she went back to scan the ticket at the Lottery Vending Machine. The words “See Lottery Regional Office” glowed back at her. She couldn’t believe that her forgotten ticket was a winner, but what shocked her even more was that her printed confirmation receipt showed she had won $135,000.

M.B. drove home excited to show her family that she had won big. Both her husband and her son’s eyes grew wide when they saw what the ticket was worth. With her winnings, M.B. has been able to pay off her debt and is now officially debt free. HIT 5 is a Washington state lottery game that replaced Quinto in 2007. Each play is $1. Players pick five numbers between 1 and 42. Alternatively, players may use Quick Pick by letting the computer select their numbers. With four winning ball combinations, the more numbers that match those drawn, the more a player will win.

According to the Washington State Lottery, as of the February 2024, there have been 3,555,427 HIT5 winners with a total payout of $22,559,910.

If you read these stories and think “That’s a great story, though I wonder where the money from her Lottery purchase went. Does it all go back into prizes for winners? Does it get used to create new Lottery games? Does it overall contribute to Washingtonians for the better?”, you’re not alone. Many people wonder where the money from Lottery sales goes each year, and Washington’s Lottery is stepping in to help educate the public.

In fact, the Lottery just announced that last year alone players and retailer partners generated more than $253.1 million for programs that benefit communities throughout the state (Bolded to emphasize and included the right money amount), including education, economic development, responsible gambling, and more. With these funds, the Lottery was able to:

• Pay college tuition for more than 29,500 Washington residents,
• Provide more than $45.5 million to the General Fund
• Give $40 million to the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program
• And so much more!

Not to mention that sales also allowed Washington’s Lottery to:

• Pay out more than $618.8 million in prizes to players
• And provide more than $50.3 million in annual sales commission to retailers

If you would like to find out more on where the money from Lottery sales goes, please don’t hesitate to reach out. In addition to the press release linked above, you can also read more online from the Lottery’s Annual Report, or I could help set you up to speak with a Washington’s Lottery representative.

SOURCE: Washington State Lottery