An Iberville couple heading out for a weekend trip with friends decided to pull off the interstate in Lacombe to purchase an Easy 5 ticket for the July 14 drawing, according to a Louisiana Lottery Corporation press release.
Michael and Lori Frame were in their hotel room the next day when Lori discovered that the ticket matched all five numbers to win $167,216, half of the $334,432 jackpot, stated in the release.
"I was showing my friend’s daughter how to play when she pulled up the winning numbers on her phone. I immediately knew that we won!" she explained. "As soon as I saw it, I started jumping up and down. I even jumped up on the bed just thanking Jesus. I was so excited!"
"I thought she was going to jump out of the window!" Michael added with a laugh.
Married for 36 years, the couple has played the Lottery since it began in 1991, stated in the release. Michael shared that he used to work in the oil-field and bought tickets everywhere he traveled, until a few years ago when tough times resulted in his job being cut.
"This will really help build back up our nest egg," Lori said.
The couple received $118,723.36 after state and federal tax withholdings, which they claimed at Lottery headquarters in Baton Rouge.
The Frames, who are parents of two sons and four grandchildren ranging from nearly one to six years old, said they plan to use the windfall to remodel their home and help out their two boys, according to the Lottery Corporation.
The winning numbers for the July 14 drawing were 01-15-17-22-29. The couple’s ticket was one of two jackpot-winning tickets sold for the drawing. The Easy 5 jackpot prize is pari-mutuel, meaning it is divided equally among all winning tickets.
The Frames’s jackpot-winning ticket was purchased at Lacombe Travel Center Inc. The store will receive a one-time selling bonus of $1,672.16, which is 1 percent of the prize.
The second jackpot-winning ticket was sold at Bullard Chevron in New Orleans and was claimed at the Lottery’s New Orleans office earlier.
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.
