A Paragould woman said winning $500,000 off an Arkansas Scholarship Lottery scratch-off ticket has changed her life.
“I was really needing something good to happen to me,” said Sabrena Jones when she claimed her prize today at the lottery’s Claim Center in Little Rock. “The past two years have been hard.”
Jones’ mother and brother were with her Saturday night when she learned she had won the $500,000 prize.
“I don’t play all that often, but I do play my winners. I had won $280 the week before so I took some of that money to purchase more tickets last Saturday,” Jones said. “I joked with my mother that I didn’t want her to scratch any of the tickets, because she had teased me before telling me I won a big prize when I didn’t.”
However, her mother actually scratched the $20 200X The Prize instant ticket that won. Her mother thought at first her daughter had won only $500.
“I plan to give my mom a scratcher’s fee,” Jones laughed. Winning must run in the family. Her brother won $50,000 off a scratch-off ticket last summer.
Jones said although she is still in shock, her first thought was it will now be easier for her younger daughter to attend the private college she wants to attend in the fall. She plans to buy a new car for each of her two daughters and take a vacation.
“I just want to have a little bit of fun and relax,” she said.
Last week Jones was employed working the night shift (5 p.m. to 5 a.m.) at a factory. She actually went to work Sunday night and bought lunch for all her co-workers before she quit.
“I have always wanted to live by the beach, so I plan to move – maybe to South Carolina, get a beach house and go to work – just not doing the night shift,” Jones said.
Flash Market, located at 1005 E. Kings Highway in Paragould, will receive a 1 percent commission of $5,000 for selling the winning ticket. A Missouri resident claimed a $200,000 prize today from a $10 $10,000,000 Cash Extravaganza instant ticket that was purchased at this same Flash Market. The retailer will receive an additional $2,000 commission for that winning ticket.
About the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery
More than 92 cents of every dollar of ASL revenue goes to prizes, scholarships, retailer commissions, and other expenses in Arkansas. Since 2009, the lottery has raised more than $1 billion in proceeds for scholarships. More than 600,000 college scholarships have been awarded to Arkansans. The lottery has awarded more than $3.5 billion in prizes to players, about $304 million in retailer commissions and provided more than $142 million in state and federal tax revenue.
Follow the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Visit MyArkansasLottery.com for more information on scholarships, winners, games, odds, promotions – and to join The Club for free. To hear winning numbers, call the Winning Numbers Hotline at 501-682-IWON (4966). To get help with problem gambling, contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
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