Bad Luck Leads to Good Luck

June 15, 2020 – Salem, Ore. – When Ken Ronningen plays Oregon Lottery Scratch-its, he likes to play games with big top prizes. “I will usually buy a $20 game because they have the biggest prizes,” said Ronningen, of Chiloquin.

But when Ronningen stopped into Albertson’s in Klamath Falls to get one the $20 games he enjoys, there were none. “Since there weren’t any $20 tickets, I decided I’d get two $10 tickets,” said Ronningen. And boy was he glad he did!

Ronningen bought two $10 Golden Key Scratch-its and soon discovered he’d won the game’s $100,000 top prize! “I scratched the ticket and then scanned it to see if I’d won. I showed it to my wife, Ramona, and she thought I’d won $1,000. I said, ‘look closer’ and she said, ‘You won $100,000?!’”

The first thing Ken and Ramona did after making the trip to Salem to collect their prize June 12 was to head to the coast to do some fishing, hopefully, to catch another big prize.

At this time, to protect the health and safety of our employees and the public, we have temporarily closed the Salem and Wilsonville Lottery offices and continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely. We know our players are interested in knowing how their lottery play might be affected.

For now, prizes up to $50,000 should be claimed by mail. For prizes greater than $50,000, players need to make an appointment, just as Ronningen did, to come to the Oregon Lottery office in Salem. Call 503-540-1000 for assistance.

The Oregon Lottery reminds players to always sign the back of their Lottery tickets, regardless of the game. In the event of winning a jackpot, they should consult with a trusted financial planner or similar professional to develop a plan for their winnings.

Since the Oregon Lottery began selling tickets on April 25, 1985, it has earned more than $12 billion for economic development, public education, Outdoor School, state parks, Veterans services and watershed enhancements. For more information on the Oregon Lottery visit www.oregonlottery.org