From a night-shift factory position to relaxing on the beach
By Kate Northrop
PARAGOULD, Ark. — The lives of an Arkansas woman and her family drastically changed overnight thanks to a $500,000 top prize from a scratch-off lottery ticket.
A week ago, Sabrena Jones of Paragould was working the night shift at a factory from the hours of 5:00 pm to 5:00 am. A major windfall in the form of a $500,000 top prize means that she'll no longer have to endure the rough routine.
"I was really needing something good to happen to me," Jones said when she claimed her prize at the Lottery's Little Rock Claim Center on Tuesday. "The past two years have been hard."
Jones picked up a "200X The Prize" scratch-off ticket for $20 at the Flash Market gas station on E. Kings Highway in Paragould. On Saturday night, she was with her mother and brother when she discovered that her life would instantly change for the better.
"I don't play all that often, but I do play my winners," she remarked. "I had won $280 the week before, so I took some of that money to purchase more tickets last Saturday. I joked with my mother that I didn't want her to scratch off any of the tickets because she had teased me before telling me I won a big prize when I didn't."
Jones' mother continued to scratch off her daughter's tickets — she was actually the one who scratched off the winning ticket, but she mistakenly thought that her daughter had won only $500, not $500,000.
"I plan to give my mom a scratcher's fee," she joked.
Before quitting her job, Jones went to work the following Sunday night and bought lunch for all her co-workers as part of one last goodbye.
Even when she claimed her prize on Tuesday, she said that she was still in shock, and understandably so. According to Jones, the sum will make it much easier to support Jones' daughter, who will be attending a private college in the fall. She'll also purchase a new car for each of her two daughters and mentioned taking a well-deserved vacation.
For selling the winning ticket, the Flash Market will receive a 1% commission, or $5,000. The same retailer will also receive an additional $2,000 commission for a separate winning ticket that was bought at that location, a press release said. That prize was claimed by a Missouri resident who won $200,000 from the $10 "$10,000,000 Cash Extravaganza" instant game.
Jones was the first player to take home one of the four available top prizes of $500,000 in the "200X The Prize" game that was launched at the beginning of the month. No one has yet to claim the only available second prize of $50,000 and the two third prizes of $20,000.
"I just want to have a little bit of fun and relax," she told the Lottery. "I have always wanted to live by the beach, so I plan to move — maybe to South Carolina, get a beach house, and go to work — just not doing the night shift."
CONGRATULATIONS Sabrina
Where attention goes, energy flows >>>>>>
I'm glad she won, because working a 12 hour shift sucks. =0p
Congratulations!
Wonder how old she is and better not blow through it too quickly??
I felt her pain, hated night shift for two years in PICU, not good for one's Circadian cycle and 12 hours @ that. It is a vicious cycle but some folks love those hours!
Congratulations sabrina that's my dream to move to the beach. Spend it wisely. Happy for You.
If they invest the money correct and the principal and interests, they will never have to work again.
That beach house in South Carolina will chew up most of her money. This after buying two new cars and paying for a private college she will have very little left to live on for the rest of her life. She will never go back to work until she has completely run out of money. It was a halfway decent hit but after taxes it is around 340k and that's it no more every year. She will not manage it well and virtually certain to squander it.
Here's someone that will be broke in a year..lol
Hopefully she will be sensible ( I lol'ed at your comment) but I have learned that people will spend when they have never had ....just the law of nature . Congrats to her and her family ...I would have quit that job but doubt I could sit home and not work maybe she will invest it I hope so.
Not tha much money, won't last a life time, she need to live a life without excessive spendings.
Was thinking along those lines as well Jeff. However, hopefully she has planned well ahead before saying " l quit my job."
I based my post on this: The 2nd prize for the PB in CA would have paid out $2.5 mil to the winner, of that, our Uncle would have taken over $900K. Shameful is not the word.
She will only end up putting down less than 20% for that beach house but someone will talk her out of that otherwise it's going to be all gone in short order. She may break the record for ripping through a lottery hit faster than anyone in history.
Average cost for one year of private college is $36,880. Four years of that, plus 2 new cars @ 25K each will use up almost $198,000.
I'm happy for her, but I hope she gets some financial advice.
Maybe it is just me but quitting her job, helping with her daughter's private college, buying both daughter cars and planning on buy a beach house - All of this sound like it will cost MORE than the 500K she won on the scratch-off ticket. Which will probably be less once the taxes are taken out. I could imagine her with all these plans if she had won 5M but not 500K
I feel her wanting to quit the night shift, i do the same 7pm to 7am switching between 12hr days and 12hr nights and its rough. But shes definitely wanting to spend more money than shes going to end up with... most scratchers jackpot amout is an annuity unless you take a smaller lump sum and then of course dreaded taxes. But congrats to her and i wish her success with the money management.