A fortunate individual in Arlington is “overwhelmed with disbelief” after striking it big in a recent Lotto Texas drawing.
The Texas Lottery confirmed in a news release on May 31 that an Arlington resident successfully claimed the Lotto Texas jackpot for the May 17 draw.
“I called my best friend, cried, and wished my late wife was here to be a part of this,” the person who wishes to remain anonymous told Texas Lottery officials.
The lucky winner purchased the winning ticket at One World Grocery, located at 2881 Highway 157 N. in Mansfield, as The Dallas Express reported.
A total of 11,374 winning tickets were sold across the state, with prize amounts ranging from $3 to $7.5 million.
The claimant admitted having won “a few dollars here and there” in previous lottery games but never could have imagined winning the jackpot, according to the news release.
This is not surprising, given that the odds of hitting the jackpot are estimated to be one in 25,827,165. It entails matching all six numbers in the draw, which range from one to 54.
The odds of winning the lowest prize — $3 — by matching three out of six numbers are a bit more favorable at one in 75.
Rather than getting a lump-sum payout, the jackpot winner selected 30 annual payments of $250,000 before tax. While Texas lottery winners are not required to pay state tax on their winnings, prizes over $5,000 are subject to a 24% federal tax.
Even after the government takes its slice of the pie, the winnings will allow the Arlington resident to pay off debt, retire, and travel the world — something they said they are “nervous, but excited” about, according to the Texas Lottery.
While $7.5 million is nothing to sneeze at, the Lotto Texas Jackpot hit $72 million on April 17, as The Dallas Express reported. With no winners in the subsequent drawings, it then continued to grow to a staggering $95 million before being claimed by a Dallas-Fort Worth winner in the April 22 drawing.
Currently, the jackpot stands at an estimated $6.5 million and will be drawn on the evening of June 3.
