Falls woman hits $700K jackpot
Family birthdays hold key to win in SuperCash lottery
By Eric Litke
Sheboygan Press staff
A Sheboygan Falls woman Monday cashed in $700,000 in winning SuperCash tickets from a Wisconsin Lottery drawing — hitting it big after 15 years of playing the same combination of family members' birth dates.
Joanne Douglas, who declined to give her age beyond "more than 60," entered two identical tickets for Friday's drawing, both of which matched all six numbers to win the $350,000 daily jackpot. The odds of winning are more than 1.6 million to 1.
"It's still, even though I went and picked up the check, it's still like it's not real," Douglas said Monday. She said she drove to Fond du Lac to pick up her check Monday morning.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet," Douglas said. "Invest, I'm sure."
SuperCash winnings are only available in lump sum payments, according to state law. The amount of Douglas' after-tax winnings was not available Monday from lottery officials.
The winning numbers — 5, 8, 11, 14, 28 and 31 — are the same ones Douglas has played every day "since forever," she said. Douglas said she has played since SuperCash began in 1991.
The first five numbers on the winning ticket are her birthday and those of her son, daughter and two grandsons, she said. The last number is 31 because that is the last day of the month.
The winning tickets were sold at Ryan's of Falls, 415 Broadway Ave., one of five county gas stations owned by Sheboygan-based Ryan Oil Co. The retailer will get $14,000, 2 percent of the winning ticket.
"We've had some $250,000 winners, but I think that's the biggest ticket we've ever sold," said Bob Ryan of Ryan Oil. "Good for her."
Douglas said she found out she had won when she checked the numbers online Friday night after returning from the Sheboygan Falls High School football game. She was there to watch her grandson Ryan Douglas, a starting linebacker and running back responsible for the "28" slot on the winning ticket.
"I looked and I thought I only had five numbers, which is $500, and that would be fine," Joanne Douglas said. "Then I quick looked to see if it was the tripler (which would have upped the $500 to $1,500), and it was not, and that's when I noticed, gee, that's not five numbers, it's six."
Douglas said she normally only plays that series of numbers once, but she bought a second ticket with the same numbers — in addition to several computer-chosen numbers — because a SuperCash promotion running through Oct. 7 gives players an entry into a drawing for $50,000 if they purchase a week's worth of tickets.
"The second ticket was bought to get an extra entry into the drawing," she said today, laughing at her good fortune.
Douglas works at the Plymouth Kmart and at H&R Block during tax season, and she said she has not decided if she will keep either or both jobs.
Before Friday's drawing, Douglas said the most she has won playing the lottery is $500.
Family birthdays hold key to win in SuperCash lottery
By Eric Litke
Sheboygan Press staff
A Sheboygan Falls woman Monday cashed in $700,000 in winning SuperCash tickets from a Wisconsin Lottery drawing — hitting it big after 15 years of playing the same combination of family members' birth dates.
Joanne Douglas, who declined to give her age beyond "more than 60," entered two identical tickets for Friday's drawing, both of which matched all six numbers to win the $350,000 daily jackpot. The odds of winning are more than 1.6 million to 1.
"It's still, even though I went and picked up the check, it's still like it's not real," Douglas said Monday. She said she drove to Fond du Lac to pick up her check Monday morning.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet," Douglas said. "Invest, I'm sure."
SuperCash winnings are only available in lump sum payments, according to state law. The amount of Douglas' after-tax winnings was not available Monday from lottery officials.
The winning numbers — 5, 8, 11, 14, 28 and 31 — are the same ones Douglas has played every day "since forever," she said. Douglas said she has played since SuperCash began in 1991.
The first five numbers on the winning ticket are her birthday and those of her son, daughter and two grandsons, she said. The last number is 31 because that is the last day of the month.
The winning tickets were sold at Ryan's of Falls, 415 Broadway Ave., one of five county gas stations owned by Sheboygan-based Ryan Oil Co. The retailer will get $14,000, 2 percent of the winning ticket.
"We've had some $250,000 winners, but I think that's the biggest ticket we've ever sold," said Bob Ryan of Ryan Oil. "Good for her."
Douglas said she found out she had won when she checked the numbers online Friday night after returning from the Sheboygan Falls High School football game. She was there to watch her grandson Ryan Douglas, a starting linebacker and running back responsible for the "28" slot on the winning ticket.
"I looked and I thought I only had five numbers, which is $500, and that would be fine," Joanne Douglas said. "Then I quick looked to see if it was the tripler (which would have upped the $500 to $1,500), and it was not, and that's when I noticed, gee, that's not five numbers, it's six."
Douglas said she normally only plays that series of numbers once, but she bought a second ticket with the same numbers — in addition to several computer-chosen numbers — because a SuperCash promotion running through Oct. 7 gives players an entry into a drawing for $50,000 if they purchase a week's worth of tickets.
"The second ticket was bought to get an extra entry into the drawing," she said today, laughing at her good fortune.
Douglas works at the Plymouth Kmart and at H&R Block during tax season, and she said she has not decided if she will keep either or both jobs.
Before Friday's drawing, Douglas said the most she has won playing the lottery is $500.
