MCNAIRY COUNTY LOTTERY PLAYER WINS FOR LIFE; $1,000 a Week to be Paid for the Rest of Winner’s Life

What would be the ultimate holiday gift? Maybe one that keeps on giving year after year? Angela Hammock, of Ramer, Tenn., can tell you what she thinks is the perfect holiday surprise. Monday, December 20, Angela became the Lottery’s first winner of the instant ticket “Win for Life” grand prize of $1,000 a week for the rest of her life.

“It feels like I just won the Daytona 500!” said Angela. She and her husband Chuck and their 6-year-old daughter, Madi Rose, drove to Nashville from their McNairy County home on Sunday night, so they could arrive at the Lottery’s Nashville headquarters bright and early on Monday morning to claim their prize. “We didn’t sleep at all on Saturday night after we found out, but we actually slept some last night.”

Angela purchased her winning ticket on Saturday afternoon at the Ramer Quick Stop, located at 4453 Highway 57 West, in Ramer. “The store owner said he hadn’t seen any big winners on “Win for Life” yet, so I knew it was my game,” said Angela. She purchased two of the $5 tickets, and sat in her car to scratch them off. “The first one wasn’t a winner, but the second one was …I still don’t believe it. You don’t think things like this happen to everyday people – but they do!”

As the Hammock family accepted the oversized check from Lottery CEO and President Rebecca Paul, Lottery employees lined the balcony and cheered. When asked if she knew what was happening, 6-year-old Madi Rose smiled, looked at her parents, and shook her head “no” from side to side. “Does anyone know how far it is to Disneyland from here?” Chuck said.

The Hammocks said their good fortune won’t change them. They plan to “live comfortably” and continue with their current lines of work.

The Lottery currently has 36 instant games available to players. New games are introduced twice a month, with the newest game, “Volunteer Stars,” to hit retailer shelves this week. This new $2 game has a top prize of $20,000 and is easy to play. Simply scratch off the playing field and count the total number of “star” symbols. The prize legend on the right side of the ticket will show what you have won, depending on how many stars you uncover.

The Tennessee Lottery began selling its first instant tickets on Jan. 20, 2004. As of Oct. 15, the Lottery had transferred more than $174 million to the Tennessee Lottery for Education account, as well as more than $2 million for after-school programs. All Lottery profits will go to pay for specific education programs in Tennessee, which initially include HOPE Scholarships.