BOISE, Idaho – Last week, Bradley Smith was supposed to attend a softball tournament for his daughter in Tremonton, Utah – about 30 miles south of the Idaho border. Inclement weather, though, canceled the event. Instead, he continued his drive up I-15 to Malad where he purchased a Powerball ticket then sat and played Scratch GamesTM for a while. The rainout and subsequent drive to Idaho proved to be profitable for the South Jordan man as he won the top prize of $300,000 on the Idaho Lottery’s First Class Fortune Scratch Game which was purchased at Top Stop Chevron in Malad.
“It was the last one I played,” said Smith. “I got it out of the vending machine. I couldn’t really believe it. It was Friday afternoon and the lady working in the store told me I didn’t have time to make it to Boise, so I drove home with the ticket worth $300,000 in my car.”
After a long weekend, Smith returned to Idaho on Monday and claimed his prize from the Idaho Lottery.
“It’s a life changer,” admitted Smith who plans to pay down his mortgage with his winnings. “As I get older, having more time is important, so paying off the mortgage is a step in that direction.”
This is the final top prize in the game First Class Fortune. This game has a second-chance entry where players enter non-winning First Class Fortune tickets on-line at vip.idaholottery.com or through tele-entry at 208-334-4656 for a chance to win four first class airline tickets from any single, major domestic international airport to any major international airport destination in the world. The prize also includes $10,000 cash, after withholding taxes are paid, to spend upon arrival. The final time players may enter the second-chance draw is Monday, May 4, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) Mountain Time.
For their part in selling the winning ticket, Top Stop Chevron in Malad receives a bonus from the Idaho Lottery of $20,000.
