BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. — A Mississippi County woman won $100,000 on a scratch-off ticket she selected at random during a grocery store stop.
Bonnie W. claimed the top prize in the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery’s $5 50X instant game on Aug. 12 at the lottery’s claim center in Little Rock. She purchased the winning ticket from a vending machine at Kroger 465 Fuel, located at 400 W. Moultrie in Blytheville.
According to a statement from lottery officials, Bonnie reported that she had not planned to play a specific game and picked her ticket by pressing a random button. “I just pushed a random button,” she told officials. “I didn’t realize it would have such a big prize. I’m still shocked!”
Bonnie scratched her ticket while inside the store and initially revealed a $50,000 prize in the first row. She then uncovered another $50,000 prize in the second row, doubling her total winnings to $100,000.
The first person she told was her husband, who needed convincing that the win was genuine, according to the lottery. She later called her best friend, who joined her on the journey to Little Rock to claim her prize.
Bonnie shared that she plans to save the money. Meanwhile, lottery officials noted that one $100,000 top prize remains available in the 50X game.
The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery funds college scholarships for students across the state. Since its inception, the lottery has awarded more than $1 billion in prizes and provided over $1 billion for scholarships, according to lottery records.