Twist of Fate Leads Houma Man to $425,000 Lotto Jackpot

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When Michael Alvis Sr. of Houma was stopped by a red light on his way to purchase a Lotto ticket, he decided to pull into another Lottery retail location instead.  That twist of fate paid off in a big way when Alvis' ticket matched all six Lotto numbers in Saturday's drawing to win the $425,000 jackpot.

"It just feels great," shared Alvis, age 51.  "I already had some plans of things I wanted to do and now I'm able to do those things."

Alvis shared that he plans to use his winnings to purchase a new home for his mother and a new car for himself.

Valero Corner Store #370 on West Tunnell Boulevard in Houma sold Alvis his jackpot-winning ticket. The store will receive a bonus of $4,250, which is 1 percent of the prize, for selling the winning ticket. The winning numbers for the July 16 Lotto drawing were 11-19-21-23-35-39.

After federal and state taxes were withheld, Alvis received $297,500.

Lottery ticket purchasers must be at least 21 years of age.  Draw-style game tickets must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing.  Anyone who may have a gambling problem or friends and family of anyone with a gambling problem should call toll free 1-877-770-7867 for help.  For security purposes, the Lottery strongly encourages players to sign the back of their tickets immediately after purchasing.