ALBUQUERQUE – A passenger-seat pastime put a Los Lunas man on the road to riches Sunday.
Michael J. Harger revealed a $100,000 prize playing the New Mexico Lottery’s “10X Mega Money” Scratcher™.
Above: Michael J. Harger, winner of “10X Mega Money” Scratcher™
With wife Nicole behind the wheel, Harger decided to kill time playing the $10 ticket he had purchased earlier in the day.
“I said, ‘Oh, we won 100 bucks,’” Harger reclaimed for lottery officials in Albuquerque today, “‘and then I saw the comma.’”
Realizing he was holding a ticket worth $100,000, Harger said he started screaming.
“He couldn’t even talk,” Nicole Harger said.
The Hargers said they plan to use the six-figure prize to put a down payment on a house.
The couple’s lucky ticket was purchased at the Allsup’s Store No. 257 located at 351 Highway 85 SW in Los Lunas. Previously, the store has sold seven large prize winning tickets ranging between $1,000 and $5,000.
In late December, Jose Gutierrez of Los Lunas won a $50,000 Scratcher prize. Gutierrez bought his ticket at Allsup’s Store No. 137 located at 4603 Highway 314 SW in Los Lunas.
Legislative Lottery Scholarships
All profits from the sale of New Mexico Lottery games fund an in-state college tuition assistance program. Since 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised $589.4 million for education and more than 90,000 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. Approximately 3,800 students from Valencia County have received $19 million in Legislative Lottery Scholarships.
More information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com.
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