News writer, Interviewer
Jeremiah Ehlers from Greeley, Nebraska, is celebrating after winning $300,000 playing Diamond Dollars, the Nebraska Lottery's $30 scratch game.
Ehlers purchased the winning ticket at Greeley Rapid Stop, located at 101 W O'Neill Ave. in his hometown.
A winning premonition
The win came as a surprise but not entirely out of the blue. Ehlers shared that he'd been playing scratch tickets with a coworker the night before his big win. With little luck that night, they decided to call it quits.
He told the Nebraska Lottery:
I joked that the next one was going to be the big winner.
Little did he know that joke would become a reality.
The next morning, Ehlers acted on his hunch and bought a Diamond Dollars ticket. Scratching it off, disbelief washed over him. He said he had to scan the ticket two or three times to process his win. The shock was so great he even had to take a seat to collect himself.
Ehlers knew this wasn't a prize to wait on. He said:
I thought, 'I have to go right now.'
Determined to secure his winnings, he drove straight to Lincoln, Nebraska Lottery headquarters.
A game of chance
Diamond Dollars offers Nebraska Lottery players the chance to win prizes ranging from a free $30 ticket all the way up to $300,000. The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 128,000, but the game boasts an overall winning chance of 1 in 3.24.
Playing Diamond Dollars is simple:
- Match any of your numbers to any of the winning numbers, and you win the corresponding prize.
- Look for the bonus chance. Reveal two identical bonus symbols, and you win $100, $250, or even $500 automatically.
This is a breakdown of the prizes:
| Prize | Number of Winners |
|---|---|
| Free $30 Ticket | 38,400 |
| $50 | 28,800 |
| $60 | 25,600 |
| $100 | 15,800 |
| $150 | 8,000 |
| $250 | 1,740 |
| $500 | 188 |
| $1,000 | 20 |
| $300,000 | 3 |
Giving back to the Cornhusker state
The Nebraska Lottery goes beyond providing entertainment options for residents. Its core mission is to generate proceeds that benefit good causes across the state, as designated by voters and the Nebraska Legislature.
Since its inception in 1993, the Nebraska Lottery has raised over $978 million for various beneficiaries, impacting all 93 Nebraska counties. Every dollar spent on Nebraska Lottery tickets contributes approximately 25 cents back to the state, distributed as follows:
- Nebraska Environmental Trust (44.5%)
- Education (44.5%)
- Nebraska State Fair (10%)
- Compulsive Gamblers Assistance Fund (1%, plus the first $500,000 in annual fund proceeds)
Ehlers' lucky win is a reminder that the Nebraska Lottery offers not just exciting games but also a chance to contribute to the betterment of Nebraska.
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