Luis Morales will always remember Friday the 13th as one of the
luckiest days of his life.
The Hobbs resident today claimed a $13,000 prize from the New Mexico Lottery after
playing a $2 “Lucky Symbols” Scratcher
game.
Although he claims not to be superstitious, Morales said he bought the game specifically
because the potential winning numbers were concealed under images of horseshoes,
four-leaf clovers and wishbones.
After sharing the good news with his wife, Morales put the ticket out of sight until
he could drive to lottery headquarters in Albuquerque.
“I hid the ticket under the bed and told my wife she couldn’t leave the house,”
Morales recalled.
The 25-year-old heavy equipment operator for Flint Energy Services plans to use
his windfall to pay bills and take a road trip to Mexico.
Since the lottery was established 12 years ago, 21 Fridays have fallen on the 13th
day of the month. Since 1996, more than 80 lottery players have claimed $1.4
million in top-tier prizes on Friday the 13th. Prizes have ranged between
$600 and $100,000 with an $800,000 Powerball® prize awarded on Oct. 13, 2006.
Morales bought his ticket at Town & Country No. 236 at 10 E. Broadway in Tatum.
This lottery retailer has sold six other large prizing-winning tickets ranging between
$880 and $2,100.
Lottery Beneficiaries in Lea County
All net revenues from the sale of lottery games benefit the
Legislative Lottery Scholarship program, which provides tuition assistance
for New Mexico residents attending the state’s public colleges and universities.
Since its inception in 1996, the lottery has raised $355 million for public education
in New Mexico and more than 50,000 students have received Legislative Lottery Scholarships.
As of the Spring 2007 semester, more than 1,200 high school graduates from Lea County
have received $2.9 million in Legislative Lottery Scholarships. Information
on Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at
www.nmlottery.com.
