LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Imagine waking up and having no clue you've won $1 million.
That's what happened to one Faulkner County woman on Thursday when she received a certified letter explaining she had won $1 million in the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery's "Play It Again" drawing.
When the woman saw the letter saying she'd won, she instantly thought it was a scam.
"I told my friend that it wasn't anything and just to drop it on the floor," she said. "He decided to open the letter anyway and said I had won something. I grabbed it from him immediately and called the number in the letter to see if it was legit."
The winner, who elected to remain anonymous, had her name randomly selected from all eligible entry players who had submitted non-winning instant scratch-off tickets. She claimed her prize today at the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Claim Center in Little Rock.
“Recently, I was praying and asked, ‘Lord, how I’m going to pay my bills next month,’ the winner said. “He blessed me, and now I can repair my mobile home, invest, and donate to diabetes and heart failure research with my winnings.”
The next Play It Again drawing is expected to be on April 24 for a $250,000 lottery prize.