LITTLE ROCK — Mountain Home resident B. Patel recently claimed the $260,000 Natural State Jackpot. She claimed her prize at the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Claim Center on March 11
The winning ticket was sold at Phillips Express on 1954 Buzzard Roost in Mountain Home. The winning numbers were 3, 5, 13, 23, and 27.
Patel and her boyfriend purchased the winning ticket on Friday, March 8, while running errands. Though they enjoy the occasional scratch-off, Patel and her boyfriend much prefer draw games like Natural State Jackpot, Mega Millions® and Powerball®—especially when jackpots are high.
“We wanted to try [the Natural State Jackpot] again, since we hadn’t in a while,” Patel shared with lottery officials.
Through playing together a few times each month, Patel and her boyfriend have developed a routine: he buys the tickets, and they consult each other about which numbers to select.
“I’ll ask, ‘What number do you feel?’” Patel said.
This time, the couple purchased a $1 ticket for that night’s Natural State Jackpot drawing and used their birthdays as their digits.
Their strategy proved successful: the couple matched all five winning numbers and landed the $260,000 jackpot. However, they were unaware of the win until around 1 a.m. the following Monday, when Patel’s boyfriend decided to check their numbers online.
Stunned, Patel and her boyfriend carried their excitement into the claim center.
“We’re calm!” Patel said, smiling. We’re trying to be calm.”
The couple has no definite plans for their win, but they have considered sharing some with their parents.
The Natural State Jackpot reset to $50,000 immediately following Patel’s win and has now climbed to $60,000.
