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Woman Wins $175,000 From Scratch-Off Lottery Ticket In Office Gift Exchange

Photo by THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images)

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Christmas came a little early for one lucky lady in Kentucky on Tuesday.

While attending her office holiday party at the Harmon Dental Center in Louisville, Lori Janes joined in the festivities by playing a white elephant game with her co-workers, according to WLKY News.  During the game, the office manager nabbed a $25 TJ Maxx gift card, but found herself a little disappointed when one of her co-workers “stole” the gift from her, forcing her to pick up $25 worth of lottery scratch off tickets instead, the outlet reported

“Once it got to me, it was done and mine to keep. That’s when everyone was telling me to scratch them off,” Janes told WLKY.

After scratching off the first ticket, Janes was already up $25, having won $50. It was the next ticket, however, that left her more than a little stunned when she won the game’s $175,000 top prize, the outlet reported.


“Everyone was going insane. People were getting their calculators out and double-checking. A couple of people even scanned the ticket on the lottery’s app, just to make sure,” Janes said. (RELATED: Shop Owner That Sold Winning Powerball Ticket Is Now A Millionaire Himself)

After verifying that she had indeed won the jackpot, Janes called her husband and kids to tell them the exciting news, but they were skeptical.

“We figured she didn’t look at it right, but then we heard people in the background celebrating, it became real,” her husband said according to WLKY news.

After taxes, Janes received a check for $124,250 allowing her to pay off her daughter’s student loans and their cars, making it an early and very Merry Christmas.