An unsuspecting Arkansas lottery player took a trip to the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) Claim Center and walked away with a much bigger prize than he had imagined.

A North Little Rock resident won $680,000 in the Feb. 6 Natural State Jackpot (NSJ) drawing. The winner claimed his prize at the ASL Claim Center on Feb. 12.

The winning ticket was sold at Park Hill Shell, located on 3100 J.F.K. Blvd. in North Little Rock. The winning numbers were 8, 9, 14, 16 and 36.

The winner plans to split the prize equally with his best friend, with whom he has been “tight buddies” for decades. The pair have different ticket preferences: one enjoys NSJ and crossword-inspired instant tickets, while the other prefers the in-state LOTTO game and the multi-state draw game Powerball®. Still, they are longtime lottery players and enjoy visiting different retailers.

Neither the winner nor his friend knew they won the $680,000 jackpot until they arrived at the ASL Claim Center.

The winner’s lucky day began earlier that morning when he landed a $10 prize on a scratch-off crossword game. He later scanned his NSJ ticket and discovered he had won another prize. Unsure of the amount, the pair joked about possibly winning $1,000 as they drove to Little Rock.

Upon visiting the ASL Claim Center, the winner was informed that he had instead won the $680,000 jackpot. Stunned, he thought they meant $680. When the jackpot win was confirmed, the man immediately shared the good news with his best friend.

The pair plan to help others with their winnings, resolving not to let the prize change their lifestyles.

“He’s a good dude,” the winner said.

“He is, too,” his friend responded.

The jackpot for tonight’s NSJ drawing is $80,000.

Another in-state draw game, LOTTO, rises to $816,000 for Saturday night’s drawing.

LOTTO drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $2 per play, and ticket sales cut off at 8:59 p.m. on draw nights.

LOTTO tickets are available for purchase in person at a licensed Arkansas lottery retailer or through retailer apps from ASL’s Play on the Go partners. For more information about Play on the Go options, visit the Where To Play page on the ASL website.

For more information about LOTTO, visit MyArkansasLottery.com/LOTTO.

About the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery
The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) creates winning people, winning futures, and winning moments. Since 2009, the ASL has sold over $8 billion and returned more than $1.5 billion for scholarships to benefit Arkansas students. More than 822,000 college scholarships distributed by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education have been awarded to Arkansans. As of Jan. 31, 2026, the lottery has awarded more than $5.7 billion in prizes to players, more than $473 million in retailer commissions, and provided more than $424 million in state and federal tax revenue.

Follow the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery on Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram. Visit MyArkansasLottery.com for more information on scholarships, winners, games, odds, promotions – and to join The Club for free. To get help with problem gambling, contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.