Thanks partly to his own generosity, Byron Blake of Arlington is rich.
Blake regularly buys Lotto tickets to give as gifts. He checks the tickets by using the lottery’s Check-a-Ticket automated system, and if they’re winners, asks the retailer to run a report on how much they’re worth. He then gives them away as tips to waitresses or birthday presents to friends.
The ticket he bought at a 7-Eleven near Everett, however, he kept. He found out Friday it was worth $1.3 million.
“It took about a day for it to sink in,” Blake told state lottery officials. “I actually didn’t believe it until I showed up at the lottery office.”
Blake submitted his winning ticket on Tuesday. Lottery officials announced Blake’s prize on Wednesday.
Blake has been playing the lottery since its creation, buying a ticket or two once or twice a week, according to lottery officials.
“I save up the winning tickets and give them to people as presents,” he said. “I know they’re winning tickets, and the payout is usually a few bucks. It’s kind of exciting for them, and they get the experience of playing the lottery. They have to check the ticket to see if it’s a winner, and they end up getting a nice little surprise.”
When Blake saw how much his ticket was worth, he wasn’t sure he believed it.
“The first sequence (row of numbers) wasn’t a winner, but the second one was,” he said. “I thought it must be a mistake, because I’ve been looking at it for 20 years.”
Blake told lottery officials he will continue to play the lottery games but will use the prize to pay off bills and occasionally take a day off. And he’ll continue to give tickets away as gifts.
“He’s like Santa Claus cruising around,” said Jacque Coe, public relations manager for Lotto.
Blake could not be reached for further comment.
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
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