March 14, 2018 - Salem, Ore. -- Young couples starting out have dreams and plans of the life they want to create together.
Thanks to a winning Scratch-it from the Oregon Lottery, Marisa Luebs and her husband Charles are going to make those goals become reality.
"We were hanging out and decided that we wanted to get out of the house," Marisa said. "So we decided to buy some Scratch-its and see if we could win."
The couple said they never purchase Scratch-its more than $5, but they were feeling adventurous and decided to try the $10 Scratch-its. The first one they played, they won $100,000.
"We were sitting in the car and I just kept scratching it, I couldn't believe it," she said. "At some point I ran out of stuff to scratch on the ticket and we took it inside. The machine made noise and the lady at the store almost didn't know what was going on. She did tell us the sign the ticket immediately."
The newlyweds, who recently moved to Sweet Home, said they still are having a hard time believing they won. The feeling they had in the car in front of the US Mini Mart in Sweet Home hasn't gone away, they said.
"We put the money in the bank, and we want to be very smart with it because this is a great opportunity for us," Marisa, who works at a credit union, said. "We are looking to buy a house, and eventually start a family. We will use most of it for the house, but will probably get a better car. We want to make sure we save a lot of it to have a good future in front of us."
The US Mini Mart in Sweet home will receive a $1,000 selling bonus for selling the winning ticket. So far this year players who live in Sweet Home have won more than $133,000 playing Oregon Lottery games.
During the 2015-17 biennium in Linn County, where the couple live, more than $42.1 million in Oregon Lottery proceeds were directed to economic development, parks, education and watershed enhancement. Projects included water treatment plant upgrades in Lebanon and the Sweet Home School District received more than $1.7 million in Oregon Lottery proceeds.
Lottery officials recommend that you always sign the back of your tickets with each Oregon Lottery game you play, to ensure you can claim any prize you may win. In the event of winning a jackpot, players should consult with a trusted financial planner or similar professional to develop a plan for their winnings. Prize winners of more than $50,000 should contact the Lottery office to schedule an appointment to claim their prize.
Since the Oregon Lottery began selling tickets on April 25, 1985, it has earned more than $11 billion for economic development, public education, state parks and watershed enhancements. For more information on the Oregon Lottery visit www.oregonlottery.org
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