Boise – It’s a 120 mile drive from Pinedale, Wyoming to the Huskey’s Store in Swan Valley on Highway 26, but one that Raymond Moore says is definitely worth making to play the Idaho Lottery. Yesterday, Moore’s dedication to his travels finally paid off with some big rewards when he cashed in a winning Xtreme Winter Green ScratchTM ticket for $250,000.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever win that much on a scratch-off,” said an excited Moore who moved to Pinedale from Corpus Christi, Texas five years ago.
Moore, who started his own oil field service company that specializes in environmental remediation two years ago, found himself at a loss when he moved from Texas since Wyoming does not have a state-run lottery.
“I played the Lottery all the time in Texas. So, my wife and I make a monthly trip to Idaho Falls for shopping and we always buy our Powerball tickets and scratch games when we get to Idaho,” admitted Moore. “We never miss a draw. Even in the winter with snow piled on the road, we still make the drive to Huskey’s in Swan Valley.”
This past Tuesday was Moore’s birthday. On Wednesday after visiting a meat store in Rigby, Moore and his wife stopped at Huskey’s to buy their Lottery tickets before returning to Wyoming. “I usually play the $5,000,000 Super Payout, but I asked the owner which other game had a big prize,” described Moore. “He pointed to Xtreme Winter Green so I bought it.”
After state and federal taxes, Moore took home $168,000. As for his plans with his winnings, Moore said he plans to send his mom to Australia and put the balance to good use. He also admitted doing something nice for his wife of three years by replacing her current wedding band with her “wish ring”.
Huskey’s in Swan Valley has a regular clientele of tourists and Wyoming residents that make the drive to buy Idaho Lottery tickets. “We’re ecstatic. It’s wonderful. He’s a nice fella and comes in all the time,” described Randy Huskey, the store’s owner. “Everybody over here is real excited.”
For their part in selling the big winning ticket, Huskey’s in Swan Valley receives a bonus from the Idaho Lottery of $20,000. “Oh my goodness gracious, wow, what a gift, I’m on cloud 11,” exclaimed Huskey when he heard this news.
It’s over 400 miles from Boise to Pinedale, Wyoming and as Moore and his wife prepared for the long return trip he informed the Lottery he would keep playing and probably buy a few more tickets on the way home. At the very least he promised a stop in his favorite store, Huskey’s in Swan Valley.
