A birthday Scratch ticket turns into an extra-special holiday treat
Olympia, WA (December 23, 2025) – One Gig Harbor husband and wife are celebrating the holidays with a little extra cheer this season, after a birthday Scratch ticket turned into a $20,000 win from Washington’s Lottery.
Kelly and Chad have made a habit of tucking Scratch tickets into birthday and anniversary cards for one another throughout the years, a lighthearted tradition that adds a little excitement to their celebrations. This year, while stopping for gas at a local ARCO, Kelly picked up a Snow Much Fun Scratch ticket as part of her husband’s gift, choosing the winter-themed game to match the season.
Later that evening, as the celebrations wrapped up with cake and presents, Chad stepped into another room to scratch his ticket. Moments later, he came back holding it up and asked Kelly, “Are you messing around with me?”
At first, Kelly was confused by the question and wasn’t sure what he meant. Chad, meanwhile, was convinced the ticket couldn’t be real and thought she might be playing a prank. He handed it to her and asked if she was seeing the same thing. As the two looked more closely, they realized the ticket featured a winning symbol with “$20,000” printed beneath it, confirming they had won the game’s top prize. “Even once I saw it, it still took a minute to sink in,” Kelly said.
The next day, once Chad finished work and they picked up their son from school, the family made the trip to the Federal Way Regional Office of Washington’s Lottery to claim their prize. Afterwards, they turned the trip into a full day of celebration, wrapping up the birthday festivities with some shopping and dinner. The couple plans to use the rest of their winnings to help make one more birthday wish come true: Chad’s dream car, a Ford Mustang.
Washington’s Lottery offers Scratch games priced between $1 and $30, each with varying prize amounts. The number of actual prizes available in a game may vary based on the number of tickets printed, tested, distributed, sold, and number of prizes claimed. Players can find Washington’s Lottery retail locations here. Players can find Washington’s Lottery retail locations here.
Who Benefits
Since 1982, Washington’s Lottery has generated more than $5.3 billion to support several important state programs. The Lottery’s primary beneficiary is the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account (WOPA), which provides much-needed funding for programs including early childhood education, the Washington College Grant and College Bound program, Washington Award for Vocational Excellence, GET Ready for Math and Science scholarships, and more. These programs help provide critical services and support to thousands of Washington residents each year and help improve their lives.
Beneficiary Fact
Washington’s Lottery is proud to be a financial supporter of the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), which administers state financial aid programs. WSAC leads a variety of initiatives to increase educational opportunities for students, families, and educators across the state, with a particular focus on increasing equity by reaching communities of color and students from low-income families. The Lottery also proudly supports the state’s Early Childhood Education & Assistance Program (ECEAP), a state-funded pre-K program that helps children become kindergarten-ready by building early skills in reading, math and science. The program works closely with parents to support their children’s health and education.
About Washington’s Lottery: The state’s Lottery offers consumers several types of games, including Mega Millions, Powerball, Lotto, Hit 5, Match 4, Pick 3, Cash POP, Daily Keno and Scratch. For more information, visit www.walottery.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @walottery.
Keep it fun. Know your limit. Washington’s Lottery is an advocate for responsible gaming and collaborates with the Evergreen Council for Problem Gambling to provide resources for those in need. More information is available at www.walottery.com/Responsibility.
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Press Contacts
Dan Miller (Curator on behalf of Washington’s Lottery)
E-mail: dan.miller@curatorpr.com
Xiamara Garza-Urbieta (Curator on behalf of Washington’s Lottery)
E-mail: xiamara.garza@curatorpr.com