Scratch-Off Win Turns Into Extended Stay for Texas Couple

A holiday trip to New Roads turned into an extended stay for a Texas couple after they claimed a $10,000 top prize from the Louisiana Lottery's new wintertime scratch-off Let It Snow. 

"We bought some scratch-offs on our way home to Texas," said Sharhonda Price of Fort Worth.  "But we never made it out of Louisiana because we turned around immediately when we realized we had won."

Price said she and Merrick Hutchison, originally from New Roads, didn't mind spending an extra day in Louisiana until they could claim their prize. 

Price and Hutchison said they love to travel and plan to spend their winnings on a trip to either the Bahamas or the Caribbean.  They purchased their winning ticket at Chevron Food Mart #10 in Port Barre. 

Let It Snow offers a top prize of $10,000 with 10 chances to win on each ticket.  The game has three top prizes remaining as of Dec. 7. 

Players must be at least 21 years old to purchase a Lottery ticket.  The Lottery encourages anyone who has a gambling problem or friends and family of anyone with a gambling problem to call toll-free 1-877-770-7867 for help. For security purposes, the Lottery also encourages players to sign the back of their tickets immediately after purchasing.