The Scratch

Free birthday ticket gives first time player a $22,000 payday

Charlotte Vermaas isn’t a regular Nebraska Lottery player. She plays Powerball and Mega Millions if the jackpots get really high up there, but that’s about it.

She doesn’t play all that often, but on December 31, Charlotte won big. Using a coupon for a free 2by2 ticket, she won $22,000.

She was shocked. She’d never bought a 2by2 ticket before, and she only got this one because she received a free coupon for her birthday from the Nebraska Lottery back in November.

On New Year’s Eve, Charlotte and her husband Lenny were doing some grocery shopping at Hy-Vee at 1000 S. 178^th Street in Omaha. On the way out the door, she grabbed the coupon—which was set to expire that same day.

While she was waiting in line to pay for groceries, she sent Lenny to the customer service desk to pick up a ticket. The machine printed out a quick pick 2by2 ticket with Red numbers 24 and 26 and White numbers 13 and 24 along with a message that read “Happy Birthday”.

A few hours later, just before the new year, the numbers drawn matched Charlotte’s ticket, but she didn’t notice. She’d put the ticket down and didn’t check the numbers for about a week and a half.

“I had to laugh,” she said. “I left it on the kitchen counter next to the OK Google and forgot about it.”

Charlotte and Lenny took the ticket to check it and discovered they’d won the $22,000 top prize.

They didn’t believe it at first, they said. They rarely play Lotto games and neither have played a Scratch ticket for years. It didn’t become real until they brought the ticket into the Nebraska Lottery offices in Lincoln on January 13, Charlotte said.

“It’s so exciting to actually see the check,” she said.

The Vermaas’ aren’t sure what they’ll be doing with the money yet, but Charlotte said she already felt lucky having Lenny around.

“I always tell him I win the lottery every day I wake up next to you.”

Every Nebraska Lottery MVP Club member receives a free 2by2 ticket in the mail on their birthday. Signing up is free and easy!

Just head over to nelottery.com and click the MVP Club button and you’ll be eligible for a free birthday coupon as well as multiple coupons for other Nebraska Lottery discounts and you’ll be able to enter our online second-chance contests!