When the customer ahead of him at Woody's in Whitewood purchased lotto tickets for the November 14, 2012 drawings, Aaron Arehart thought that sounded like a good idea. And when the clerk asked Arehart if he wanted the "extras" on his purchase, he told her yes. That's how the Whitewood man ended up winning $30,000 on his Hot Lotto ticket.
Arehart hit five of five white ball numbers but missed the Hot Ball, which is normally a $10,000 prize but because he purchased the Sizzler option for an additional $1, the prize was tripled. He says he plays lotto on a random basis, depending on the jackpots and the $30,000 is his biggest win to date. Arehart found out he was a winner at the same store where he got the winning ticket.
"I used the ticket self-checker at Woody's and found out I had a winner. I'm really glad the clerk asked me if I wanted the extras because that won me another $20,000," said Arehart.
His brother was the first to hear of the big win, Arehart says mainly because no one else was answering their phones. Although he's still getting over the shock of his big win, Arehart already has some ideas as to what he'll do with the winnings.
"I'm going to pay off all my debt, do some traveling, and save the rest," he said.
The odds of winning the second prize playing Hot Lotto are 1:607,744. Woody's will receive a $3,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Hot Lotto is played in 14 states and the District of Columbia. The jackpot currently sits at $5.38 million for the next drawing on November 17, 2012.
