A Sitka woman got an unexpected holiday gift this year – a winning lottery ticket on Christmas Eve.
Edith Johnson has been buying tickets online every week for the past year from Lotto Alaska, which has been operating since 2017. When she bought tickets on Christmas Eve (12-24-23), she wasn’t expecting to win anything.
“Me and my best friend, we play 20 bucks every week,” Johnson said. “And then after the drawing at 6 p.m., we always call each other or text each other and say, ‘Hey, we didn’t win.’ I FaceTimed her this weekend and was like, ‘You’ll never guess.'”
Lotto Alaska staff member Stosh Solski said a lot of residents aren’t aware that Alaska has a lottery. Lotto Alaska disbursed $12 million in prize money in 2023, and shared the rest of its proceeds with nonprofit organizations. While some locations around the state offer in-person ticket sales, Alaskans can also buy tickets online.
On the day of the drawing, Johnson bought 50 tickets online. Then, she went to take a nap before casually checking the weekly prize numbers.
“I was just kind of laying in bed,” she said. “And I checked my numbers, and I was like, ‘this can’t be right. Like this is not real.'”
Johnson’s prize was worth about $130,000. She will put the bulk of her winnings into a retirement account, but she’s keeping enough aside for one purchase.
“I need a new oven at Our Town Catering,” she said. “That’s going to be my big splurge, I’m going to buy an oven for my business. But other than that, I think I’m going to be pretty boring with it. No, lavish purchases or anything.”
Johnson said she plans to continue buying weekly tickets, even if she doesn’t strike it rich anytime soon.
