Veneta Woman Wins $70K On Oregon Lottery Scratch-It

VENETA, OR — Some traditions are worth keeping, no matter how frivolous or eccentric they may seem. Just ask Veneta resident Jeannie Kelly, who recently saw her weekly stop at a local Dari-Mart to purchase an Oregon Lottery Scratch-it finally pay off.

Now, with her 20th wedding anniversary coming up and an expected $70,000 boost to her bank account, Kelly is reportedly facing an enviable conundrum: Will she and her husband go to Disneyland or Disney World?

Kelly's recent and unexpected win followed a typical Sunday, she recently told Oregon Lottery officials in Salem. Every Sunday afternoon, Kelly explained, she takes her parents and her dogs to the same neighborhood Dari-Mart off Highway 126 in Veneta.

“My parents go with us and then we all get Lottery tickets and play,” Kelly told Oregon Lottery officials. “That’s our Sunday thing every weekend."

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So regular are her Scratch-it purchases every week, and so regular are her Scratch-it losses, Kelly didn't even bother checking the ticket until after she also ran a few errands, she said. But after she got home, settled in, and finally check the Scratch-it, Kelly said the deviation from the norm was hardly believable.

“I just sat there and kept matching the numbers,” Kelly said. “'That is a winner, right? Is this really happening?' Is all I could say.”

With no kids of their own, Kelly and her husband are now debating whether to also take the dogs so they can share in the family's good fortune.

Kelly's is reportedly the largest Lottery win at the Veneta Dari-Mart since a $250,000-winning Mega Millions ticket was sold in 2011.

For more information on the Oregon Lottery or its games, visit www.oregonlottery.org.

Image via Oregon Lottery