VAN BUREN, Ark. -
A local gas station worker struck it big in the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery this weekend.
Joe Pierce was working at the pointer express two in Van Buren Sunday when he bought a $5 scratch-off ticket, and won $100,000 dollars.
"When I saw the ticket said claim at the lottery, I knew it was at least over $500, so I got pretty excited," Pierce said Tuesday. "Then when I saw it was $100,000 I was really excited."
Pierce said he and his co-workers scanned the ticket and checked with their lottery representative to make sure he was a winner. They confirmed that pierce was only the second person in Arkansas to claim a $100,000 prize in the lottery.
"According to the computer, there was another ticket sold in Jacksonville, and there are three $100,000 tickets that have been bought but not claimed," said Elizabeth Hogan, who owns Pointer Express Two.
A change of habit also helped Pierce win big; he said he'd played several other scratch-off tickets, and his winning one was the first five-dollar scratch-off he'd bought.
"The Arkansas Riches was my favorite, the two-dollar tickets, and then last night I just decided to try a five-dollar one, that's the one I won $100,000 on," he said.
Hogan said business as the store has picked up after word that a $100,000 lottery ticket was sold there got out. But even before that, sales had been seeing a boost because of the lottery ticket.
"They're all really excited," Hogan said. "In fact, I've had so much demand I've had to add more employees."
Pierce said he plans to claim his prize Tuesday in Little Rock; any prize greater than $500 has to be verified and picked up at the claims center there. He said he's worried about how much of his winnings will be taken out in taxes, but still has plans for the rest.
"I'd like to buy a house for my wife and kid," he said. "We just had a baby a little bit ago, so this came at just the right time."
According to lottery officials, in the two weeks the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery has been available they've seen more than $19,309,000 in estimated sales and given out more than $12,500,000 in estimated prizes.
Tickets that don't win can also be entered into a drawing at MyArkansasLottery.com for another chance to win. Lottery officials will hold a drawing at a later date for each game, and tickets drawn will win the maximum amount possible for their respective games.
Joe Pierce was working at the pointer express two in Van Buren Sunday when he bought a $5 scratch-off ticket, and won $100,000 dollars.
"When I saw the ticket said claim at the lottery, I knew it was at least over $500, so I got pretty excited," Pierce said Tuesday. "Then when I saw it was $100,000 I was really excited."
Pierce said he and his co-workers scanned the ticket and checked with their lottery representative to make sure he was a winner. They confirmed that pierce was only the second person in Arkansas to claim a $100,000 prize in the lottery.
"According to the computer, there was another ticket sold in Jacksonville, and there are three $100,000 tickets that have been bought but not claimed," said Elizabeth Hogan, who owns Pointer Express Two.
A change of habit also helped Pierce win big; he said he'd played several other scratch-off tickets, and his winning one was the first five-dollar scratch-off he'd bought.
"The Arkansas Riches was my favorite, the two-dollar tickets, and then last night I just decided to try a five-dollar one, that's the one I won $100,000 on," he said.
Hogan said business as the store has picked up after word that a $100,000 lottery ticket was sold there got out. But even before that, sales had been seeing a boost because of the lottery ticket.
"They're all really excited," Hogan said. "In fact, I've had so much demand I've had to add more employees."
Pierce said he plans to claim his prize Tuesday in Little Rock; any prize greater than $500 has to be verified and picked up at the claims center there. He said he's worried about how much of his winnings will be taken out in taxes, but still has plans for the rest.
"I'd like to buy a house for my wife and kid," he said. "We just had a baby a little bit ago, so this came at just the right time."
According to lottery officials, in the two weeks the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery has been available they've seen more than $19,309,000 in estimated sales and given out more than $12,500,000 in estimated prizes.
Tickets that don't win can also be entered into a drawing at MyArkansasLottery.com for another chance to win. Lottery officials will hold a drawing at a later date for each game, and tickets drawn will win the maximum amount possible for their respective games.
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