Posted on: May 18, 2024, 07:39h.
Last updated on: May 18, 2024, 07:39h.
A grocery store in Washington’s Spokane Valley is a one-stop shop for groceries, pharmacy, flowers, alcohol — and for three recent lottery players — great fortune.
The Washington Lottery announced this week that the Yoke’s Fresh Market located at 9329 E. Montgomery Ave. in the Argonne Village shopping center sold three winning lottery tickets in just over a week that delivered life-changing jackpots.
On April 17, a player identified from Newman Lake won a $4.6 million Lotto jackpot after purchasing the Washington Lottery gameplay at the Yoke’s Spokane Valley location. The grocery store received a $46,000 commission for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.
Just days later, lottery officials say two more lottery players at Yoke’s hit major wins.
The first was a Hit 5 ticket, another game administered by the Washington Lottery, that won $165,000. The other came by way of Powerball, as a ticket sold at Yoke’s matched four of the five drawn white balls and the red Powerball to claim the game’s third-best prize of $50,000.
However, since the Powerball ticket had the optional $1 add-on Powerplay, and the multiplier randomly landed on 4x for the April 24 drawing, the lucky winner’s payout was quadrupled to $200,000.
Good for Business
The Washington Lottery doesn’t operate online games, meaning tickets must be purchased in person at a licensed lottery retailer.
Launched in 1992, the lottery supports early childhood education, vocational programs, and economic development. The lottery also helps small businesses by driving traffic to those that have become licensed lottery retailers.
Washington Lottery retailers receive a 5% commission on all Scratch and Draw game sales. They receive a $50,000 bonus for selling a Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot winning ticket, $10,000 for a Powerball/Mega Millions second-tier prize, and $20,000 for selling a Powerball Double Play jackpot.
Yoke’s received $46,000 for the Lotto jackpot because the Washington Lottery cuts a bonus to retailers for selling Lotto or Hit 5 jackpots, with the award amounting to 1% of the prize.
Lottery players are notoriously superstitious, which could prompt many to venture to the Yoke’s in Argonne Village in the coming weeks as some hope the store’s lucky streak isn’t over.
Yoke’s management told the Washington Lottery that it will throw a celebration for employees with the $46,000 commission. Yoke’s is an employee-owned supermarket chain headquartered in Spokane. The company currently has around 1,000 employees at its 20 locations in Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
Lottery Warns About Unclaimed Prizes
In related lottery news out of Washington, state officials warn the public that $1.7 million in unclaimed prizes will soon expire. The lottery said in a release that 34 tickets in circulation won $10,000 or more that will expire in the coming weeks.
The outstanding haul is highlighted by a Hit 5 ticket worth $440,000. That ticket must be redeemed by this Tuesday, May 21.
The Washington Lottery requires winning tickets to be redeemed within 180 days from the drawing date. Players who win over $100,000 should contact their nearest lottery office to schedule an appointment to make a safe and secure in-person redemption.
