Son buys Alamogordo mom $200000 lottery ticket

Jackie Hunt's son Jimmy has the magic touch.

On Wednesday evening, the Alamogordo resident asked her 18-year-old son to pick up some New Mexico Lottery tickets for her.

"He's my good luck charm," Jackie Hunt said. "Whenever he gets the tickets, I always win my money back."

And then some. The $20 "Diamond Explosion" Scratcher that Jimmy Hunt left for his mother on the kitchen counter concealed a six-figure prize.

"I said, 'Oh my gosh, Jimmy, I think I've won $200,000,'" Hunt recalled for lottery officials in Albuquerque.

"She was giddy," Jimmy Hunt said.

Mother and son spent the rest of their evening emailing photos of the winning ticket to family and friends.

After getting something special for her son, Jackie Hunt said she plans to invest the prize to help secure her retirement.

The lucky ticket was purchased at J &J Mini Market No. 35 at 700 1st St. in Alamogordo. Previously, the store has sold two large prize-winning tickets paying $1,000 and $30,000.

In recent weeks, six other Alamogordo residents have won top-tier lottery prizes. Scratcher players Tamatha Boles won $5,000; Andre Levesque and Mary Leon, $2,000 each; and Gilbert Vigil, $1,000. Jose Ortega won a $1,500 Hot Lotto prize while Matilda Telles won $870 playing Pick 3. Rita Smith of Bent won a $30,000 Scratcher prize on a ticket she purchased in Alamogordo.

All net revenues from the sale of New Mexico Lottery games benefit a tuition-assistance program for New Mexico residents

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attending the state's public colleges and universities. Since 1996, the lottery has raised $473 million for education and more than 68,000 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships.

As of the Spring 2010 semester, 2,120 students from Otero County have received $9.6 million in Legislative Lottery Scholarships. More information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com.

via google.com