Roy A. from Lockesburg, Arkansas, won $180,000 in the Natural State Jackpot (NSJ) drawing held on September 9. He bought his winning ticket at E Z Mart #4447 in Lockesburg and claimed his prize at the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) Claim Center. The winning numbers for that draw were 8, 13, 22, 31, and 38.
Roy is a regular lottery player who buys NSJ tickets daily. He also participates in Powerball and other games but prefers NSJ due to its $1 price and its status as an Arkansas-exclusive game. Roy said he had previously matched four out of five numbers twice in recent months, with his largest previous win being $300.
Describing the moment he realized he had won, Roy told lottery officials: “That last number shocked me. I just about fell out my chair when I got it.” After discovering his win, he shared the news with staff at E Z Mart, whom he considers close friends. One team member accompanied him to claim his prize and said: “He’s like a grandfather to me. I was so excited for him; I almost cried.”
Roy plans to deposit his winnings in the bank. “It’s a miracle as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “I always knew I’d get it.”
The current jackpot for the next NSJ drawing is $130,000. In addition, tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot stands at $451 million.
Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 10 p.m., with ticket sales closing at 9:45 p.m. Tickets for both NSJ and Mega Millions can be purchased from licensed ASL retailers or through retailer apps offered by ASL’s Play on the Go partners. More information about these options can be found on the Where To Play page of the ASL website.
Since its inception in 2009, the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery has generated over $8 billion in sales and contributed more than $1.5 billion toward scholarships for students in Arkansas. Over 822,000 college scholarships have been awarded by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education using these funds. The lottery has also paid out more than $5.5 billion in prizes to players and provided over $459 million in commissions to retailers.
For additional details about lottery games or scholarships, visit MyArkansasLottery.com.
The Office of the Arkansas Lottery advises players that all information on their websites is subject to verification by their central gaming system before prizes are paid out.
Players must be at least 18 years old to participate. Assistance with problem gambling is available through the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700 or online resources such as www.ncpgambling.org and www.gamblersanonymous.org.
