(AUSTIN) – JE Paradise Investments, Ltd., JE Paradise Management, Inc., General Partner, Joni Eddy, President, of Lewisville, today claimed the December 6 Lotto Texas® jackpot worth $13 million.
The prize will be paid in annual installments of $390,000 for 25 years, at the end of which the winner will have received the entire $13 million advertised jackpot.
Eddy has been purchasing Lotto Texas tickets faithfully for all the years Lotto Texas has been around. That would mean that the City of Lewisville employee has been playing since November of 1992 when Lotto Texas debuted.
“The last two weeks have been crazy,” Eddy said. I haven’t slept much, and there’s been a great deal of paperwork to do so I could claim this prize. I was really, really excited the first day I knew, and all I could do was sit at my desk and say, ‘Oh my God.’ Since then, however, it seems as if all I’ve done is sign my name on lots and lots of documents at my attorney’s office.”
Eddy learned her ticket was the only one that matched the numbers drawn on December 6 when she returned to the same store where she purchased it, Finamart of Lewisville, 1890 S. Old Orchard Lane.
The numbers drawn were 6-11-13-18-26-49. The ticket was not a Quick Pick, so these numbers are of special significance to Eddy.
“There was a line at the counter, so I checked the numbers at the self-service terminal,” she said. “My Cash Five ticket came up as not a winner, but with the Lotto ticket, I got the message that it was a winner and that I should see a Lottery official. I was thrilled to think that, this being Christmas, I’d won at least $600 or maybe even $1,000. So I waited at the counter until I could talk to the clerk.”
The clerk compared Eddy’s ticket to a print-out of the winning numbers and was so overjoyed for her customer that she started crying. Contrary to news reports that said the claimant started crying, it was the clerk who shed tears.
“As surprised as I was, it was the clerk who was overcome,” Eddy said. “All I knew at that point was that I had to get to work. I was already running late.”
Eddy intended to tell no one about her ticket, but it didn’t turn out that way.
“You just can’t help it, you have to tell someone,” she said. “And I had to tell my supervisor because I was going to need some time to take care of this matter. I got a referral for an attorney whose clients included previous lottery winners. Let me tell you, there is nothing like getting the proper legal advice to make the process go smoothly.”
What’s next for Eddy?
“I plan to keep working,” she said. “There’s no way I can sit at home and do nothing. The only thing I plan to do soon is buy a new car. I’ve got an SUV, and since I really have a thing for cars, I’m going to let myself buy a new one.”
Eddy also says she plans to keep playing the Lottery.
“People always say nobody ever wins, and I’ve probably said it myself,” she said. “Well, now I’ve won, so there it is…people really do win the Lottery.”
“Ms. Eddy is correct about Lottery players who win prizes,” said Texas Lottery Commission Deputy Executive Director Gary Grief. “Since the Lottery sold its first ticket in May of 1992, we’ve given out nearly $30 billion in prizes to our players. Without a doubt, people win prizes all the time.”
The representative of the legal entity that claimed the prize requested minimal publicity.
The retailer is eligible to receive a bonus equal to one percent of the advertised jackpot, which is $130,000.
Tonight’s Mega Millions® jackpot is worth an estimated $16 million. Tomorrow’s Lotto Texas jackpot is worth an estimated $7 million.
