Retiree thought he was ‘seeing things’ after scratching off big WA lottery win
A routine grocery store stop “turned unforgettable for” a Camano Island man after he won $75,000 with a scratch-off ticket, lottery officials in Washington said.
The man regularly buys tickets at Huntington’s Corner Grocery close to his home, and “on this particular day, he scratched a ticket that earned him his money back and decided to try again, purchasing a Wild 10s Scratch ticket along with a candy bar,” Washington’s Lottery officials said in an Oct. 6 news release.
The retiree scratched the $5 ticket when he got back to his truck, and he could hardly believe his eyes.
“I started shaking and thought, ‘Is this for real? Am I seeing things?’” he told lottery officials.
The man “went back inside the store to confirm” his big win, and he “then sat in his truck for nearly 20 minutes before feeling composed enough to drive,” lottery officials said.
He shared the good news with his significant other and his daughter, the latter of whom “replied to a photo of his winning ticket by saying, ‘That’s a lot of zeroes,’” per lottery officials.
The man has plans for the windfall: he’ll save some and possibly splurge on a vintage car.
“(He) says the win feels like a belated birthday present, as his birthday had been just weeks earlier,” according to lottery officials. “He and his significant other plan to celebrate this spring by throwing a party with family and friends who have helped them over the years.”
Camano Island is about a 50-mile drive south from Bellingham.
This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 8:48 AM with the headline "Retiree thought he was ‘seeing things’ after scratching off big WA lottery win."
.JPG)