ALBUQUERQUE – After revealing a $200,000 Scratcher prize, Loving resident Albert Aragon Jr. paced in front of a gas station for 30 minutes Friday trying to comprehend what had just happened.
“I just froze up,” Aragon recalled for New Mexico Lottery officials in Albuquerque Monday. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Above: pictured is Albert Aragon Jr., winner of the $200,000 Scratcher prize
The 24-year-old winner landed the second of three $200,000 prizes in the lottery’s “Treasure Hunt” Scratcher game. He bought his lucky $20 ticket by flipping a $25 Scratcher prize into a new game that he played in his truck.
“I kept $5,” Aragon joked.
Now, he’s the New Mexico Lottery’s eighth largest winner of 2012.
“I never thought anybody ever won, but there’s the proof right there,” Aragon said, holding his check.
Except for treating his girlfriend and cousin to lunch for coming with him to Albuquerque, Aragon said he has no idea what to do with his prize other than save it and enjoy receiving monthly bank statements.
Aragon’s ticket came from South Y Shell No. 25 located at 3024 National Parks Highway in Carlsbad. Previously, the store has sold six large prize-winning lottery tickets ranging between $1,000 and $14,000.
Other recent local lottery winners include Carlsbad residents Katie Sosa and Ezequiel Salazar who shared a $10,000 Powerball prize; Roger Harris, who won a $10,000 Mega Millions prize; and Ronald Forbes, who won a $3,000 Scratcher prize.
Legislative Lottery College Scholarships
Since 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised $520 million for education and more than 75,300 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. As of the Spring 2011 semester, more than 2,200 students from Eddy County have received $9 million in Legislative Lottery Scholarships.