OLYMPIA, Wash. — A Washington woman bought a lottery ticket from a vending machine but didn't realize until months later that it was a $135,000 winner.
The Lynnwood woman, identified as M.B., told Washington's Lottery officials she bought her Hit 5 ticket from a vending machine at her local Fred Meyer store while picking up groceries for dinner.
M.B. said it wasn't until several months later that her husband reminded her to check the ticket, so she scanned it at a vending machine and received the instructions: "See Lottery Regional Office."
The machine gave her a printed receipt specifying that she had won $135,000.
M.B., who is a mother and master electrician, said her winnings will allow her to live debt-free.
Lottery players should always check their lottery tickets after each drawing, because tickets expire anywhere from 90 days to 1 year after the drawing, depending on the state in which the ticket is purchased. In Washington, lottery tickets expire 180 days after the drawing.
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. Winning numbers for Hit 5 are published on Lottery Post's Washington Lottery Results page minutes after each drawing.
* Lesson # 1. Don't buy a ticket if you not going to check it.
* Lesson #2. Know where you stashed it.
Check your tickets people. The longer you wait the more time they have to get misplaced.
I am glad that where I live we have an App.
Immediately I buy my tickets, I scan the code and it gets saved on the App.
If it's a winner I get a notification.
I always check my tickets on the App in the morning.
Of course I still have to keep the actual ticket safely.
Obliviousness wins again
And expired!
That's really cool. We have an app too but it only works after the game is drawn. If I scan before the draw, it just tells me not yet a winner. Only if scan after the draw will I know for sure if I won.