News writer
A man in Arkansas bought his wife a LOTTO ticket for her birthday. It turned out to be one of her best birthday presents ever — a $25,000 win!
James E., a Conway resident, bought the winning LOTTO ticket for the Saturday, March 2 drawing at Dave Ward Drive Satterfield, 1655 Dave Ward Drive in Conway. That just happened to be the same date as his wife’s birthday.
For the March 2 drawing, the winning numbers were 2, 4, 9, 14, 16, and 18, and the Bonus Number was 33.
A winning birthday ticket
When talking with the Arkansas Lottery, James’ wife joked:
“It was my birthday, and I wanted a ticket. A winning ticket!”
And a winning ticket is what they got, which the couple purchased on the way home on Feb. 29 after they went out to dinner. They told the lottery that they like to play the in-state games like LOTTO because they feel “they have a better chance of winning.”
That thinking worked for them, as they selected a Quick Pick LOTTO ticket, so the computer generated the numbers for them.
A delay in their celebration
While the LOTTO drawing was held on March 2, the couple didn’t get around to checking their ticket until the evening of March 4. They were dealing with an unstable internet, but James’ wife checked the winning numbers on her phone that night and they were shocked to find out they had matched five of the six winning numbers.
She told the Arkansas Lottery:
“I looked at [the ticket] about three times. I kept saying, ‘Where’s the fourteen? I need the 14!’”
James was a little hesitant to believe his wife at first, but once he checked the numbers himself the celebration began.
What’s next for the big winners?
On March 5, James headed to the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Claim Center and turned in his winning LOTTO ticket and took home the $25,000 prize. While they didn’t match all six numbers and take home the jackpot, the couple was thrilled about the $25,000 win.
The couple had plans of puppy-sitting for their grandchildren this upcoming summer, so they will be using their winnings to buy a new fence.
They have no plans to stop playing lottery games, as the couple has already purchased new tickets for the next LOTTO drawing, but are hoping to win the jackpot next.
Arkansas LOTTO history
The LOTTO draw game started on September 18, 2022, in Arkansas and they hold drawings every Wednesday and Saturday. The jackpot starts at $250,000. If it’s not won, it rolls over and grows in the next draw.
The largest jackpot win since LOTTO started in Arkansas was $2.34 million, which was won on April 29, 2023. The current estimated jackpot for the March 9, 2024, drawing is $1.22 million.
Enjoy playing the Arkansas Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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