Lynnwood woman who forgot about Hit 5 ticket ends up winning $135K

She tucked the ticket away for months. With the winnings, the master electrician paid off her debt.

Lynnwood

LYNNWOOD — Remember to check your lottery tickets.

A Lynnwood master electrician is now living the dream.

Washington’s Lottery reported that on the way home from work a woman, identified only by the initials M.B., stopped at her local Fred Meyer to grab some groceries for dinner. On her way out, she bought a Hit 5 ticket from the lottery vending machine and tucked it away as she went about her day.

A few months went by. It wasn’t until M.B. was reminded by her husband to check her ticket that she went back to scan the ticket at the lottery vending machine.

“The words ‘See Lottery Regional Office’ glowed back at her,” the lottery news release said. “She couldn’t believe that her forgotten ticket was a winner, but what shocked her even more was that her printed confirmation receipt showed she had won $135,000.”

M.B. drove home excited to tell her family that she had won big.

“Both her husband and her son’s eyes grew wide when they saw what the ticket was worth,” the release said. “With her winnings, M.B. has been able to pay off her debt and is now officially debt free.”

When asked for the winner’s name, a lottery spokesperson said: “While this story is a fun one, this winner is not open to interviews or sharing more.”

The cost of a Hit 5 ticket is $1. Numbers are between 1 and 42. Drawings are at 8 p.m. daily.

Cashpots start at $100,000 and keep growing until someone matches all five numbers to win. Friday’s cashpot was at $420,000.

Odds are 1 in 851,000.

The odds are better — 1 in 128 — for winning $15.

Tickets less than $600 can be redeemed at lottery retail locations. For prizes from $601 to $100,000, winners can use the mail-in claim system. Tickets of $100,000 or more require a trip to a lottery office.

Numbers can also be scanned on a mobile app.

Don’t wait too long. Tickets expire 180 days from the drawing date.

Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @reporterbrown.

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