Hot Lottery stories.

Richard Edwards of Billings Wednesday claimed a $30,000 Montana Cash jackpot for the Feb. 18 draw with a ticket from 24^th Street Cenex, 1031 N. 24^th St. W., Billings.

Richard is a regular player who buys The Works each week to play all of the Lottery’s draw games. Although his Montana Cash numbers were drawn Saturday, he didn’t realize he’d won until he scanned his ticket at a retailer Tuesday. The retailer’s terminal said to “file a claim,” indicating a prize higher than $600. In Richard’s case, it was the jackpot.

Richard returned home and called the Lottery to learn how to claim his prize. Once he got all the information he needed, he called his wife at work to share the exciting news.

“We’re going to Helena tomorrow,” he said mysteriously. “Why?” she asked. But before he could reply, she answered her own question: “We won?”

The jackpot for Wednesday’s Montana Cash draw is $20,000.

Wayne Thomas of Great Falls has claimed a $25,000 top prize for the “King Tut’s Treasure” Scratch game with a ticket from Town Pump, 505 NW Bypass, Great Falls.

Wayne, a regular Scratch player, visited Lottery headquarters with a friend Tuesday to claim his prize. Even after receiving his check, the excitement and surprise of winning was still setting in for him.

“I’m still in shock,” he said.

“King Tut’s Treasure” debuted last August. In September, a player from Drummond also won a $25,000 top prize with a ticket from Fic’s Kwik Six.

Jean Watson of Havre Tuesday claimed a $40,000 Powerball with Power Play prize for the Feb. 11 draw with a ticket from McLean’s Grocery, 500 Second St., Havre.

Jean is a regular lotto player who usually picks her own numbers. She traveled to Helena with her daughter to claim the prize and then visited her grandchildren to surprise them with the news.

Jean is the third of three big Powerball winners from Feb. 11 to claim her prize. The others, one from Bozeman and one from Dillon, each won $10,000. Jean’s prize was the biggest because she added Power Play to her ticket at the time of purchase.

Powerball recently changed to offer more $1 million prizes, bigger starting jackpots, and better odds of winning for $2 per play.

Power Play also changed to eliminate the Power Play number. Now, prizes with Power Play are a set amount. The prize for matching 4 of 5 white balls and the Powerball with Power Play is $40,000. And the prize for matching 5 white balls with Power Play is now $2 million.

The estimated jackpot for Wednesday’s Powerball draw is $40 million.

Two Powerball players, who each matched four white balls and the Powerball over the weekend, claimed their $10,000 prizes at Lottery headquarters Monday.

Dustin Lawler of Bozeman claimed his prize with a ticket from Blue Basket Market, 1035 Reeves Rd., Bozeman.

Dustin usually plays Powerball whenever the jackpot gets high — and at $325 million, it was definitely high. He said although he wishes he’d added Power Play, the prize is no less exciting.

“It’s definitely the closest I’ve ever come to winning the jackpot,” he said.

Mona Peshehonoff of Dillon also claimed a $10,000 Powerball prize for the Feb. 11 draw. Her ticket was purchased at Rocky Mountain Supply, 700 N. Montana, Dillon. Mona declined to release further information.

The estimated jackpot for Wednesday’s Powerball draw is $40 million.

Chad Covault of Stevensville Friday claimed an $8,358 jackpot for the “$hake a Day” EZPLAY® game with a ticket from Bum Steer Bar, Casino and Café of Florence.

Chad said he usually plays “$hake a Day” a couple times each week and enjoys watching others play too.

“It’s fun watching the jackpot go up, especially on Friday nights,” he said.

The night Chad won, several other players at Bum Steer hit the $50 prize. Upon winning the jackpot, he originally thought he’d hit $50 too — until he noticed the jackpot reset. A few of Chad’s friends who were playing “$hake a Day” at another Lottery retailer down the street saw the jackpot reset too and called Chad to joke about it.

Chad’s prize is the second-highest “$hake a Day” jackpot to date, surpassed only by a $10,538 ticket sold at Hooters of Missoula in January.

EZPLAY® is the Lottery’s new suite of instant online games. For more information, visit www.montanalottery.com.

Kerri Wilson of Missoula is the winner of the Second Chance drawing for the Lottery’s “Anchors Away” Scratch game. The ticket drawn was purchased at Muralt’s of Missoula, 8800 Truck Stop Rd.

Kerri’s prize is a Cruise of a Lifetime for two with Royal Caribbean International®. First-class airfare, deluxe hotel accommodations for the night before departure, an ocean-view balcony stateroom, and more are included. With state and federal tax withholdings paid by the Lottery, the total value of the prize package is $23,430.

Kerri is still thinking about where she wants to go, but she is partial to eastern Caribbean destinations such as the Bahamas. Although she has traveled internationally, this will be her first cruise experience.

“I’ve been wanting my husband to take me [on a cruise] for years,” she said.

Upon hearing the news, her husband shared the excitement.

“He couldn’t believe it,” Kerri said. “All he could do is laugh. He’s very, very excited, though, and we both think it’ll be a great experience.”

Three players won a Cruise of a Lifetime before the Second Chance drawing. Kerri is the 4^th winner, and a 5^th cruise is still available to win. The Second Chance winner was drawn Feb. 2 from non-winning tickets entered into the Player’s Club at montanalottery.com.

Two EZPLAY® players claimed top prizes Monday after winning big over the weekend.

A group of five players called the Golden Spike Lotto Club hit a $7,128 “$hake a Day” jackpot Friday at the Golden Spike of Havre. Stacy Baldwin claimed the prize on behalf of the group.

Stacy said the club usually plays on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Happy Hour but was playing on Friday last week because of the big jackpot. Before they started playing, the friends were chatting about what would happen if they won the jackpot. A few minutes later, it happened!

The other big EZPLAY® winner from the weekend was Jim Prescott of Belgrade, who claimed a $2,000 top prize for the “Blackjack” game.

Jim was playing at American Legion Club 30 of Belgrade while he was waiting for the Super Bowl to start. He hit the top prize after playing only 2–3 tickets. Although his team ended up losing the big game, Jim said his “Blackjack” win was a nice consolation prize.

EZPLAY® is the Lottery’s new suite of instant online games. For more information, visit www.montanalottery.com.

Travis Friede and Brandi Van Horn of Great Falls Wednesday claimed a $10,000 top prize for the “Bedtime Bingo” Scratch game with a ticket from Loaf ‘N Jug, 601 Smelter Ave., Great Falls.

Travis said he only plays Scratch games occasionally, but Brandi plays often. She was the one who purchased the winning “Bedtime Bingo” ticket. She scratched it off and thought she’d won $10, then she retired for the night.

The following day, Brandi checked the ticket at a retailer and learned it was a much bigger winner than she thought. Travis noticed she missed scratching the number 13 for one of the four bingo cards on the ticket. The missing number completed an “X,” winning them the $10,000 top prize.

What’s next for the lucky winners?

“I don’t know,” Travis said. “We’ll do something fun,” Brandi added.

“Bedtime Bingo” debuted last September with prizes up to $10,000.

Rob and Tana Wilkerson of Laurel Tuesday claimed a $200,000 Montana Cash jackpot for the Jan. 14 draw with a ticket from Fastlane C-Store, 815 E. Main St., Laurel.

The jackpot was uncommonly high Saturday, prompting Rob to buy a 10-play Quick Pick ticket shortly before the draw. One play matched all five numbers drawn, winning him and Tana the $200,000 prize. The Lottery was closed Monday, but the couple and youngest son arrived in Helena Tuesday morning to claim their winnings.

The Wilkersons said they’d pay off their vehicle and save the other winnings for future use.

The jackpot for Wednesday’s Montana Cash draw is $20,000.

Friday Tina Kinder of Great Falls claimed a $1,000 Scratch prize from “Fireball 5’s.” Her winning ticket was purchased at Loaf ‘N Jug, 900 First Ave N, Great Falls.

Kinder’s husband purchased the tickets early this morning. After deciding which ticket she wanted Kinder scratched the ticket and discovered she had chosen a winning ticket.

“He told me he felt lucky,” Kinder informed Lottery officials. “That’s why he bought the tickets; we don’t normally play, but I am glad we did today.”

There are no plans for the winnings, but Kinder is very excited to have spare cash on hand.

The jackpot for Montana’s exclusive lotto game, Montana Cash, rolled to a rare $200,000 after no tickets matched all five numbers drawn for Wednesday’s draw.

Montana Cash jackpots start at $20,000 and increase by $10,000 after each draw for which there is no winner. The current jackpot has been climbing since Nov. 12. The last jackpot winners were Jeff and Debbi Barth of Billings, who won $100,000 Nov. 9.

In its 20-year history, the Montana Cash jackpot has exceeded $200,000 only seven times. Most recently, it ended at $230,000 on Sept. 3, 2011. The highest jackpot ever won was $280,000, claimed by a player from Cut Bank in 2007.

The next Montana Cash draw is Saturday. Tickets may be purchased until 8 p.m. the night of the draw. The $1 ticket includes two plays.

Brandon Warner of Butte has claimed the second place prize from Week 18 of Fantasy Football. Warner’s prize was worth $809.10 and he bought his winning ticket at Magic Diamond Casino in Butte. Week 18 ended January 8.

Warner and his father have been playing Fantasy Football all season. Earlier in the season they won 1^st place. Warner is happy to have won again, and hopes it doesn’t stop after this win.

Warner’s winning team consisted of Quarterback Brees of New Orleans; Running Back Foster of Houston; Wide Receiver Johnson of Detroit; Tight End Graham from New Orleans; Kicker Prater of Denver; and Defensive Unit Houston. His team earned 134.34 Fantasy points.

Jenny LaSalle of Rocky Boy won a $1,208 EZPLAY® jackpot from the game “$hake a Day.” Her ticket was purchased at Hide Out Lounge and Casino, 2401 12^th Ave S, Great Falls.

LaSalle had never played “$hake a Day” before but decided to try since all her friends were having a lot of fun playing. She asked the young lady next to the MP terminal to show her how to play.

“She had me push the last button, and all these lights went off. I couldn’t believe it,” LaSalle excitedly told Lottery officials. “I also can’t believe I won this on my anniversary. It was the perfect present,” she added.

The winnings will be used to help her son start his new job in North Dakota.

Kelli Kolar of Bozeman claimed a $5,000 top prize from “Winter Winnings.” She purchased her ticket at Town Pump, 29001 Norris Road, Bozeman.

Kolar is currently attending Montana State University in Bozeman. During finals week she took a friend to purchase a Scratch ticket, and her friend insisted she buy herself one. After scratching the ticket Kolar realized she had just won $5,000.

“It was an awesome start to finals week. I just knew that week would be great after starting like that,” Kolar informed Lottery officials.

Currently, Kolar is planning on using her winnings to go to Spain over spring break and saving what is left after the trip

Sean Shorley of Helena claimed a $1,000 prize from “Black Pearls.” He purchased his ticket at Albertsons, 3151 N Montana Ave., Helena.

Shorley purchased his ticket on a lunch break at work. Shorley claims that he almost had a heart attack after he realized he had won. His winnings will be used to pay off bills.

Mackenzie Lemcke of Missoula has claimed a $10,538 “$hake a Day” EZPLAY® jackpot. Her ticket was purchased at Hooters in Missoula.

Lemcke had been out with some friends the night she hit the jackpot. She had been playing “$hake a Day” all evening, winning various small prizes. On her last try, all her friends were standing around her as she put her $3 in the MP terminal. Once Lemcke had made her selection, the lights on the terminal starting flashing and the jackpot amount reset.

“I thought I had won $500 because it reset,” Lemcke recalled. Luckily, her friends were there watching; they knew what had happened and were excited to celebrate her jackpot win with her.

Lemcke won the largest “$hake a Day” jackpot since the game began on November 6. The progressive jackpot starts at $500 and goes up from there statewide until it is won.

Friday morning, Ramon Rios traveled to Helena from Crow Agency to claim his $100,000 Montana Millionaire prize. He purchased his ticket at L & B’s Last Stop in Hardin.

This is Rios’ third year playing Montana Millionaire, and the third time was the charm for him. He plans on using his winnings to buy a truck and help pay for school. “I might even buy a truck on the way out of town,” Rios added, grinning.

Friday, the Nelson family made the trip to Helena from Havre as well so that Koery Nelson could claim his $100,000 Montana Millionaire prize. His winning ticket was purchased at Mountain View Co-op in Black Eagle.

Koery Nelson was not planning on buying a Montana Millionaire ticket this year. Yet, when they were heading home from a family trip to Great Falls he decided to buy one at the store they had stopped at to purchase a drink. The store did not have the drink they were looking for, but the ticket turned out to be a winner.

Currently, the Nelsons are not sure how they are going to spend their winnings. They are just happy to have won.

Carrie Hagerman of Billings also made her way to Helena to claim her $100,000 Montana Millionaire prize. Her ticket was purchased at Albertsons, 611 N 27 St, Billings.

Hagerman’s sister purchased Montana Millionaire tickets for Carrie and two other family members that have November birthdays. Hagerman’s happened to be a big winner. “I will take this as a birthday present every year,” Hagerman told Lottery officials.

The winnings will be used to buy a new car that Hagerman has been wanting, and to help pay off some bills

Bradley Sage made the drive from Florence to Helena Wednesday in order to claim his $10,000 Montana Millionaire prize. His winning ticket was purchased at Gary & Leo’s Fresh Foods in Florence.

Sage found out that he had won on January 1, but he did not tell anyone until later in the day. As the day progressed, Sage began dropping hints that his ticket was the winning ticket. Eventually, he told his wife that they were $10,000 richer. Currently, there are no plans for the winnings.

Thomas Sadler of Twin Bridges also made the trip to Helena Wednesday to claim his $10,000 Montana Millionaire prize. He purchased his ticket at Walter’s IGA in Sheridan.

Sadler purchased his ticket in early November, and when January 1 came around, he had forgotten he had a ticket. The evening of January 1, he remembered he had a ticket and checked online. Upon seeing that Walter’s IGA had sold a winning ticket, he told his fiancée, “There was a winning ticket sold at Walter’s. Our odds of winning just went up.”

Sadler plans on using his winnings to pay some bills, and help his son out with tuition that is due soon.

October is a lucky month for Dennis and Anne McClurg of Anaconda. Two years ago in October Anne purchased a Scratch ticket that resulted in her winning a big prize. This October Dennis purchased his winning “Crossword Connection” Scratch ticket at RD’s Party Shop, 848 West Park, Butte.

“Everything comes in threes. Hopefully this won’t be an exception,” Dennis McClurg informed Lottery officials. This lucky couple plans on saving their winnings and letting them accumulate, just like they did last time. “That way we can pay bills, or do whatever we want with the money,” Anne McClurg explained.

“Crossword Connection” debuted October 11 with prizes up to $10,000. It is one of the many popular crossword games the Lottery offers.

Wade Jacobsen of Cut Bank has claimed the first place prize from Week 17 of Fantasy Football. Jacobsen’s prize was worth $1483.70 and he bought his winning ticket at The Wolves Den in Cut Bank. Week 17 ended January 2.

Jacobsen has been playing Fantasy Football since it started. He recently started teaming up with a friend, Karl Krapf. The two have been close to winning all season, but it was not until this last week that they put their winning team together.

Jacobsen and Krapf’s winning team consisted of Quarterback Brees of New Orleans; Running Back Rice of Baltimore; Wide Receiver Colston of New Orleans; Tight End Gronkowski from New England; Kicker Janikowski of Oakland; and Defensive Unit Atlanta. Their team earned 148.26 Fantasy points.

The second place prize from Week 17 of Fantasy Football was claimed by avid fantasy sports fans Ted Troyer and Mark Meredith. Their prize was worth $890.20 and the ticket was bought at Montana City Grill & Saloon in Montana City.

Troyer’s and Meredith’s winning team consisted of Quarterback Brees of New Orleans; Running Back Rice of Baltimore; Wide Receiver Cruz of New York Giants; Tight End Gronkowski of New England; Kicker Akers of San Fransisco; and Defensive Unit Chicago. Their team earned 147.12 Fantasy points.

Mark Vandolah and his wife Marilyn traveled to Helena Wednesday in order to claim their $100,000 Montana Millionaire prize. The winning ticket was purchased at Town Pump, 819 West Park, Anaconda.

Mark purchased the ticket in Anaconda where he normally purchases all his Lottery tickets. When Mark purchased his ticket he noted that the last three digits we “007” and told the clerk, “007 has to be lucky.”

The Vandolahs did not know they had a winning ticket until Tuesday afternoon around 3:00. Marilyn texted Mark to ask him if he had checked the ticket. She had seen that the million dollar prize was claimed but hoped they had still won something. Mark had forgotten that he had bought a Montana Millionaire ticket. Upon checking the ticket, Mark told her that the ticket was a winner; Marilyn did not believe him until he faxed her a copy of the ticket so she could check for herself.

The Vandolahs plan to use the winnings to pay off some bills. The remaining amount will be used to help fund their retirement.