Man checks forgotten lottery tickets from road trip. Turns out he’s a big winner in WA
A Pierce County man checked his forgotten lottery tickets from a road trip and was stunned to see a big prize.
He had won $50,000 on a $5 game.
The man from Spanaway typically stops at a Fred Meyer for tickets, Washington’s Lottery said in a Dec. 18 news release.
But he forgot to stop there and instead went to Barney & Bernie’s Grocery Deli on his way out of town, lottery officials said.
He bought some lottery tickets, including a $5 Minty Money game.
The man forgot about his purchase until he got home a week later, lottery officials said.
He drank his morning coffee and started scratching the tickets.
At first, he didn’t think the Minty Money ticket won him anything. But he double-checked the ticket using his lottery app.
That’s when he saw he had won the game’s top prize of $50,000.
Lottery officials said he almost spit out his coffee.
The lucky lottery player called his girlfriend, and she didn’t believe him until he sent her a photo, lottery officials said.
Now, he has plans to use his prize money on a trip to Europe with his girlfriend. He will also put some aside to invest.
Spanaway is census-designated place. It’s about a 10-mile drive south of Tacoma.
This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Man checks forgotten lottery tickets from road trip. Turns out he’s a big winner in WA."
