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LAS CRUCES MAN WINS $200,000 NEW MEXICO LOTTERY PRIZE
September 29, 2011
A Las Cruces father who plays New Mexico Lottery games because his sons received Legislative Lottery Scholarships won a $200,000 Powerball prize.
Udell Vigil’s quick-pick ticket for the game’s Sept. 24 drawing matched the winning white ball numbers of 3, 4, 12, 27 and 44. He missed the red Powerball of 26 which would have snagged the night’s jackpot of $30 million.
Vigil, who admits to buying tickets only to squirrel them away, had to be reminded twice to check the ticket for prizes.
“The girl who sold me the ticket offered to check it for me, but I couldn’t remember where I left it,” Vigil recalled for lottery officials in Albuquerque Tuesday.
Sunday evening, his family mentioned the ticket and helped him find the missing wager under a plate on the kitchen table. At the lottery’s website, Vigil discovered his ticket was worth $200,000.
“It was hard to sleep that night,” he said.
Vigil, who said his prize is bound for the bank, said he plays lottery games because ticket sales fund college scholarships. His two sons received Legislative Lottery Scholarships to attend New Mexico State University. One son has graduated with a degree in fine arts while the other son is still a student studying criminal justice.
The winner bought his lucky ticket at Pic Quik No. 72 located at 4675 Sonoma Ranch Blvd. in Las Cruces. The store has told five other large prize-winning tickets paying between $1,000 and $5,000.
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