Lottery player asks clerk to pick ticket and wins big. ‘I don’t think this is right’
A lottery player’s doubts when she purchased a ticket at an Iowa convenience store led to even more skepticism at the sight of her winning ticket.
But the ticket purchased by Shelley Nicholson at a store in Hampton was very much real.
She has the store’s clerk to thank for the $100,000 win. She asked the clerk to pick her ticket, and he decided on the $100,000 Mega Crossword scratch-off game, according to Iowa Lottery officials.
The odds of winning the $100,000 prize were 1-in-119,287.
“When I bought it I thought, ‘Oh. I’m probably not going to win,’” Nicholson told lottery officials. “And then when I kept scratching and realized I got six on the red ones, I was like, ‘Um. I don’t think this is right.’”
Nicholson, a 37-year-old McDonald’s manager, scanned her ticket on the lottery’s mobile app, helping her realize she was a big winner.
She did not share what her plans are for her winnings.
Hampton is about 95 miles north of Des Moines.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhen gambling is more than a game
Gambling is designed to be a source of entertainment.
If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
This story was originally published April 24, 2023 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Lottery player asks clerk to pick ticket and wins big. ‘I don’t think this is right’."