A $775,000 winning Louisiana lottery ticket was sold at the Pine Cash store for Saturday's (January 3) drawing.
Joseph Wheat of a Bogalusa mail route address purchased his winning ticket from Pine Cash. He claimed his prize at Lottery headquarters, where he received $565,750 after state and federal tax withholdings.
Wheat, a longtime Pick 3 player, said he regularly watches the Lottery drawings. On the night of the drawing, he was watching as the numbers were called and realized he had matched all six numbers to win the jackpot.
“I had to call my wife and ask her to come home,” Wheat said. “When I saw the numbers, I made her come check the ticket to make sure I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing.”
"I'm happy that it's a local person," Robbie Michel, owner of Pine Cash, said.
Pine Cash is located in the heart of the Pine community on Highway 62. Michel noted that the store had some large scratch-off ticket winners, but the $775,000 winning ticket is by far his largest winner.
"It's a very random drawing, so we are very proud and very happy for the winner," he said.
Wheat said he plans to use his winnings to pay off some debt and set money aside for his children and grandchildren.
“We love hearing stories like this, especially from players who have been with us for many years,” said Rose Hudson, Lottery President. “We’re excited for Mr. Wheat and his family and wish them all the best as they enjoy this win.”
