James C – Ontario — 12/17/24

A Friday the 13th Win

Long before hockey masks and movie franchises made it a scary staple, people have harbored superstitions about Friday the 13th.  But James, from Ontario, Oregon, isn’t one of them. On one Friday the 13th, he became a first-time Oregon Lottery winner!

Ignoring the number on the calendar, the James and his wife purchased a couple of tickets at their local Wal-Mart. James told us that, while they aren’t superstitious about Friday the 13th, they do have a few traditions, including weekly Friday night Scratch-it dates. And when they play together, his wife is the designated scratcher and he’s the one who scans the tickets.

When James’s wife handed him the “Spirit of the Road Crossword” Scratch-it to scan, he could already see it might be a winner. He could hardly contain his grin as he scanned the ticket and confirmed they’d won the top prize of $25,000!

A mechanic who loves his work, James isn’t planning a lavish getaway. Instead, he says his winnings will go a long way toward a lifelong dream for his family: Putting a down payment on a new house. Maybe they’ll find one with “13” in the address, just to pay tribute to their big day!