Terrytown cashier scores $800,000 Lotto jackpot

As usual, Cashier Saleh Atallah arrived first thing in the morning at Louisa Mini Mart in New Orleans to open the store for business on Jan. 31. Little did he know that the day would be anything but ordinary – the Terrytown resident was about to discover he was the sole player to match all six numbers drawn during the previous night’s Lotto drawing to win the $800,000 jackpot.

“The Lottery representative called the store to say the jackpot was won here,” Atallah explained.  

After the call, the frequent Lottery player checked his ticket and received the news he was hoping for. “I was so happy,” Atallah explained. “It was my wife’s birthday, so I called her immediately, but she kept saying ‘You’re lying!’”

Atallah’s wife thought the ticket was an $800 winner. She didn’t believe her husband until they made the trip to Lottery headquarters on Feb. 1 to claim the $800,000 jackpot prize. Suffice to say, she was thrilled to be mistaken.

Louisa Mini Mart received a one-time bonus of $8,000, which is 1 percent of the prize, for selling the jackpot-winning ticket. The winning numbers for the Jan. 30 drawing were 05-12-14-23-24-37.

Atallah received $568,000 after state and federal tax withholdings. He plans to keep working and use his winnings to help family members and his daughter with school expenses.

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. More information about Lotto can be found on the Lottery’s website, www.louisianalottery.com/lotto.