Lottery winner stays calm

EVERETT – Brian Olheiser tried to play it cool.

“I don’t get real excited,” Olheiser said. “I’m pretty low key.”

Still, there was Olheiser’s hand, visibly shaking as a Washington’s Lottery official handed him a check for $9 million on Friday at the state’s regional lottery office in Silver Lake.

“I don’t know why all you guys are here,” he said. He was talking to a flock of media who attended a press conference announcing that he had won the biggest Lotto jackpot of the year.

His family, including mom, sisters and cousins, were all sitting behind him, beaming. “I suppose any day you can win money is a good day,” Olheiser said.”

Olheiser decided to cash out his winnings, which means he gets half of the money, said Jacque Coe, communications director for Washington’s Lottery. After taxes are taken out, his take-home check was actually $3.4 million.

Olheiser works at a Rite Aid in Shoreline, lives in an apartment there and plans to stick around.

He did say he’ll probably buy a new house, head to Italy for a vacation, and added that trips to Hawaii and Mexico may be on tap.

“I still plan on working at Rite Aid,” he said. He’s a manager there.

Until the announcement on Friday, no one but his family knew that he had won. Olheiser plays the lottery regularly, usually spending $25 to $30 per week on Lotto, Mega Millions and Hit 5 games.

He has a system he uses to pick the numbers. He said he’s won a few thousand dollars “here and there” over the years. This is the first time he’s won big.

Olheiser has developed a computer program that shows him which numbers are picked most often. He then adds a little personal touch, using “gut instinct” and some family numbers.

“It’s a hobby,” he said.

Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@heraldnet.com.