information from Washington State Lottery

It was an ordinary day at work for Jerry Nitschke of Seattle, until he took his lunch break and scratched a winning $150,000 Lottery ticket. Nitschke purchased the “Extreme Crossword” Scratch ticket on August 8 from a local Safeway (2622 California Ave SW).

“I drive a bus in West Seattle and decided to pick up a Scratch ticket on my break. When I scratched it, I thought it was for $500! I didn’t realize until a few hours later the ticket was for way more,” he shared with a laugh.

Nitschke told Lottery officials something unusual – his friends weren’t surprised at all. “First, I told my friend Joe. All he said was, ‘Oh boy, here we go again.’” It turns out this wasn’t the first time Nitschke has won. “In December of 2012, I won $50,000 on a Scratch ticket. I guess I’m just lucky!”

When asked how he plans to spend the money, Nitschke came up with a few ideas, but was most excited about making his favorite hobby a little more spectacular. “Maybe I’ll buy a new hot rod, a Chevy El Camino! I’ll absolutely use some of the winnings to work on restoring some of the cars I already own.”

Proceeds from Washington’s Lottery benefit the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account, providing grants to college students statewide. To learn more about Washington’s Lottery, its beneficiaries and to review all up-to-date winning numbers, please visit www.walottery.com.