Beacon Hill man shocked when he realized prize receipt showed a comma after $365 and not a decimal point; tried calling girlfriend, mom and sister, but no one picked up until brother-in-law answered and asked him about the parade
Olympia, WA (April 1, 2026) – Riding a wave of emotion following the 2026 Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl LX championship parade on February 11, a long-time Beacon Hill resident and regular Washington's Lottery player stopped by the Red Apple Market to pick up a few items and check the lottery tickets he’d purchased the previous week, his normal routine. But this trip proved to be anything but normal.
He started by scanning a few Scratch and Lotto tickets, then his HIT 5 tickets using the Lottery Vending Machine in the store.
“I had a couple small winners and a free ticket in there, but when I scanned this HIT 5 ticket, it said something about checking with a lottery office, so I went up to see the clerk,” the man said. “I told him, ‘Your machine isn’t scanning right,’ and I handed him the ticket.”
The clerk at the Beacon Hill Red Apple Market – which coincidentally was recently named the Luckiest Retailer in the state for 2025 by Washington’s Lottery – then scanned the ticket from the February 6 HIT 5 drawing. The machine printed out a winner receipt, which the clerk stapled to the ticket and, noticing the line of people behind the winner, very quietly said “Congratulations” while handing back the ticket.
“I glanced at the receipt and saw 3-6-5 and what I thought was a decimal point with a couple zeros after it, and was like cool, $365. I thought it was odd he was congratulating me so quietly, so I looked again and realized it wasn’t a decimal point but instead a comma,” said the winner. “So, I leaned in and asked him under my breath, ‘Did I just win $365,000?’ and all he did was smile really big and very calmly say ‘Congratulations.’”
As the winner walked outside, still in shock over his big win, he immediately tried calling his girlfriend, but the call went to voicemail. Then he tried his mom. Voicemail. Sister, voicemail. Only when he called his brother-in-law, who knew he was going to the Seahawks victory parade, did he get someone pick up the phone.
“The first thing out of his mouth was ‘How was the parade’ and I had to say, ‘Never mind that, I just won $365,000 in the lottery,” added the winner. “Once he knew I was serious, he really helped me out. He got on the internet and found a news story about how someone had bought a HIT 5 ticket that won $365,000 from the Red Apple Market and how it was still unclaimed and I was like ‘That’s me!’ He kept reading and told me that I needed to sign the back of the ticket and put it in a safe place until I could get to a Washington’s Lottery office. So that’s what I did.”
A couple hours later, his girlfriend texted saying she had been at the gym when he called. He responded with a picture of the ticket and receipt and asked her to call. When she did, she asked him why he had sent her a picture of a lottery ticket. Only when he told her to zoom in on the picture did she believe what he was telling her. Over the course of the next 24 hours, the winner’s mom and sister would eventually call and get the good news, as well.
After collecting his winnings, the man has paid off all his debt, bought a new car, put some money in investments and savings, and treated his family to a dinner at Daniel’s Broiler in Bellevue.
“This is definitely a life-changing experience,” said the winner. “It’s not quit-my-job life-changing, but it’s still a big deal. Like the lottery commercials say, it’s been fun imagining what I’d do if I won, and now I did.”
HIT 5 is a Washington state lottery game that replaced Quinto in 2007. Each play is $1. Players pick five numbers between 1 and 42. Alternatively, players may use Quick Pick by letting the computer select their numbers. With four winning ball combinations, the more numbers that match those drawn, the more a player will win. 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 WA 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