The winner is also celebrating her retirement and plans to use her winnings to help with home upgrades and gifts for her family
Olympia, WA (September 15, 2025) – One Auburn woman is kicking off the Halloween season a little early this year, thanks to a $20,000 win on a “Ghoul’s Gold” Scratch ticket from Washington’s Lottery.
Tammy B., a recent retiree, purchased her winning ticket at the Walmart located at 34520 16th Avenue S in Federal Way. A longtime lottery player, she had planned to stop by a casino before heading to her bowling league, but traffic delays forced her to change course. With some time to spare, she decided instead to shop for her youngest child, who is expecting twins.
“I figured since I had the money I was going to use at the casino, why not just buy a few lottery tickets while I’m here,” said Tammy.
Later that evening, while scratching her tickets at home, she saw she had matched one of her numbers to one of the winning numbers. She knew that meant she won a prize, but she wasn’t sure for how much. It wasn’t until she scanned her ticket on the Washington’s Lottery mobile app that she realized she had won the game’s top prize of $20,000.
“I was in shock,” said Tammy. She quickly snapped a photo of her ticket and texted it to her husband, then called moments later to make sure he opened it right away, leaving him just as stunned. Tammy also shared the photo with her kids shortly after, writing “so your mom has done a thing.”
With her winnings, Tammy has been busy making upgrades at home and shopping some more for her family. She also indulged in a personal treat – a pair of antique heels once worn by one of her favorite actresses, Vivien Leigh.
Washington’s Lottery offers Scratch games priced between $1 and $30, each with varying prize amounts. The number of actual prizes available in a game may vary based on the number of tickets printed, tested, distributed, sold, and number of prizes claimed. Players can find Washington’s Lottery retail locations here.
Who Benefits
Since 1982, Washington’s Lottery has generated more than $5.3 billion to support several important state programs. The Lottery’s primary beneficiary is the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account (WOPA), which provides much-needed funding for programs including early childhood education, the Washington College Grant and College Bound program, Washington Award for Vocational Excellence, GET Ready for Math and Science scholarships, and more. These programs help provide critical services and support to thousands of Washington residents each year and help improve their lives.
Beneficiary Fact
Washington’s Lottery is proud to be a financial supporter of the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), which administers state financial aid programs. WSAC leads a variety of initiatives to increase educational opportunities for students, families, and educators across the state, with a particular focus on increasing equity by reaching communities of color and students from low-income families. The Lottery also proudly supports the state’s Early Childhood Education & Assistance Program (ECEAP), a state-funded pre-K program that helps children become kindergarten-ready by building early skills in reading, math and science. The program works closely with parents to support their children’s health and education.
About Washington’s Lottery: The state’s Lottery offers consumers several types of games, including Mega Millions, Powerball, Lotto, Hit 5, Match 4, Pick 3, Cash POP, Daily Keno and Scratch. For more information, visit www.walottery.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @walottery.
Keep it fun. Know your limit. Washington’s Lottery is an advocate for responsible gaming and collaborates with the Evergreen Council for Problem Gambling to provide resources for those in need. More information is available at www.walottery.com/Responsibility.
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Press Contacts
Dan Miller (Curator on behalf of Washington’s Lottery)
E-mail: dan.miller@curatorpr.com
Xiamara Garza-Urbieta (Curator on behalf of Washington’s Lottery)
E-mail: xiamara.garza@curatorpr.com