Two lucky Arkansans claimed big prizes today at the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Claim Center. 

Jonesboro resident Malaysia B. recently won $50,000 playing the $20 $50,000 Blast instant game. The winning ticket was sold at 2920 Highland Express LLC on 2920 E. Highland Drive in Jonesboro.

Malaysia purchased the ticket on a whim while stopping for gas.

“Something told me just to do it,” Malaysia shared with lottery officials.

Although the Jonesboro resident’s mother is an avid scratch-off player, Malaysia has only played once. With no favorite game, the Jonesboro woman selected a $50,000 Blast ticket from the bin labeled with her favorite number: 11.

Lucky for Malaysia, this ticket held the $50,000 top prize.

“I was so excited!” she said.

The winner quickly shared the news with her mother, who cried in response.

Though she’s a newcomer to lottery games, Malaysia is no stranger to winning. The Jonesboro woman previously won $1,000 on the first ticket she ever purchased.

With her prize, Malaysia plans to pay for her college education.

Another winner, Richard Garringer of Lonoke, won $25,000 in the March 27 LOTTO drawing. 

The winning ticket was purchased at Phillips 66 South Bend on 4071 Highway 294 in Jacksonville. The winning numbers were 1, 6, 11, 33, 35 and 38, with the bonus number being 18.

Richard bought the winning LOTTO ticket as part of his daily routine. He stopped at his usual convenience store for gas and purchased the ticket while inside. A LOTTO enthusiast, Richard uses the same set of numbers for every draw.

The Lonoke resident’s strategy soon proved lucky. The day after the drawing, Richard discovered he had matched five out of six winning numbers and the bonus number and won a $25,000 prize.

“That brought a smile to my face,” Richard said, grinning.

The winner first shared the good news with his brother, who was astonished that Richard had won big not once but twice—last year, Richard also won $10,000 on a scratch-off ticket.

“Ain’t no way!” Richard’s brother said.

The winner plans to save his prize money.

Jackpots continue to rise ahead of weekend drawings. For tonight, the Mega Millions® jackpot is $228 million, and the Natural State Jackpot is $370,000. For tomorrow night, the Powerball® jackpot is $149 million, while LOTTO, an Arkansas-only jackpot game, rises to $1.73 million.

For more information about lottery games and how to play, visit MyArkansasLottery.com.

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 $7.3 billion and returned more than $1.3 billion for scholarships to benefit Arkansas students. More than 720,000 college scholarships distributed by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education have been awarded to Arkansans. The lottery has awarded more than $4.9 billion in prizes to players, more than $413 million in retailer commissions, and provided more than $176 million in state and federal tax revenue.

Follow the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery on Facebook, 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.

Malaysia B. of Jonesboro won $50,000 playing $50,000 Blast.

Lonoke resident Richard Garringer claimed a $25,000 LOTTO prize.