Son decides to buy mom a lottery ticket on a whim — and wins ‘blessing’ of a prize

A woman won $500,000 on a scratch-off ticket her son purchased for her on a whim, Arkansas lottery officials said.

Lucille Robinson of Little Rock stopped at a gas station with her son Dewayne Johnson when they decided to buy a 200X instant game ticket, according to a Dec. 29 news release from the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery.

Robinson scratched the ticket before even leaving the gas station and passed it to her son to check it over, according to the release.

“Mama, you just won half a million dollars,” her son said.

She told lottery officials she immediately “thanked God,” as she was “always hoping for a blessing.”

Robinson said she plans to use her winnings to pay bills and improve her family’s lifestyle. The rest she plans to put away for “a rainy day,” according to lottery officials.

Robinson said she doesn’t have a favorite game and likes to choose her tickets based on their visual appeal.

She claimed her prize with her two sons and granddaughter, lottery officials said.

The ticket was purchased at the West 12th Street Market in Little Rock.

This story was originally published December 29, 2023 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Son decides to buy mom a lottery ticket on a whim — and wins ‘blessing’ of a prize."

Lauren Liebhaber

mcclatchy-newsroom

Lauren Liebhaber covers international science news with a focus on taxonomy and archaeology at McClatchy. She holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University and a master’s degree from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Previously, she worked as a data journalist at Stacker.