Three lottery players have claimed major prizes at the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Claim Center, according to a March 12 announcement. The winners secured their prizes through scratch-off tickets purchased at various retailers across the state.
The announcement highlights that Rebecca K. of Sebastian County won $200,000 playing the $10 Diamonds & Gold instant game. She bought her ticket at Walmart #141 in Fort Smith and discovered her win after scratching the ticket at home. “I was in total disbelief,” she told lottery officials. “I thought, ‘That can’t be right.'” Rebecca shared her news with family and friends and said she plans to continue playing lottery games.
Two other players also claimed top prizes on March 4 with the $50,000 Stacked instant game. Sam M. of Bowie County, Texas, purchased his winning ticket at Paul’s Pawn & Gun in Texarkana after being driven there by a friend. Initially thinking he had won only $50, Sam asked the retailer to scan his ticket for confirmation before realizing he had won $50,000.
James Malone from Benton became another $50,000 winner after buying his ticket at Salem Congo Gas & Food in Benton following encouragement from his wife. He scratched off his ticket using a “lucky quarter” and found out about his win while visiting his mother. “My heart did something weird,” James told lottery officials, laughing. “I thought, ‘What is this feeling? This is unreal!'” As a disabled veteran, James said he plans to use some of his winnings to support fellow veterans: “I want to treat it right,” he said. “I just like to help people.”
According to the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, two top prizes remain for Diamonds & Gold and fifty-eight top prizes are still available for $50,000 Stacked tickets.
Since its inception in 2009, the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery has sold over $8 billion in tickets and returned more than $1.6 billion for scholarships benefiting Arkansas students. More than 873,000 college scholarships have been awarded by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education as part of these efforts.
