Texans, you know the phrase: No store does more than H-E-B. The logo may be taking on new meaning for one San Antonio-area customer, who visited one of the stores and walked out a multimillionaire.
In a statement on Tuesday, July 14, the Texas Lottery announced that a grocery chain sold a winning scratch ticket for the $20 Million Supreme game. The store is at 2965 I-35 North in New Braunfels, near the city’s Canyon High School. As one of the company’s “Plus!” stores, it offers a Texas Lottery section and True Texas BBQ, according to its website.
The winner, who has asked to remain anonymous, is also a New Braunfels resident, according to the commission’s press release. They have played various Texas Lottery games for at least 15 years and say they love the thrill of an instant win.
“My first reaction was, ‘Wow!’ After I scratched the ticket, I kept looking at it to make sure the numbers matched,” the winner said, according to the press release. “I must have checked it a dozen times.”
The lucky patron picked up their award on Tuesday, July 7, the Texas Lottery’s website states. It was the fourth and final top prize worth $20 million that could be claimed in the game, marking a closing call. The commission reported that it offered more than $829 million in total prizes, though the overall odds of securing $150 or more per play were one in 3.49.
So what does the claimant plan to do now? Pay off their debts and invest in their grandchildren’s education, they told Texas Lottery officials.
“With this amount, the kids and grandkids should be set for life,” the winner said.
Even H-E-B has an opportunity to cash in. The commission’s Retailer Bonus Program awards some retailers a $10,000 bonus if they sell select winning cards. The game $20 Million Supreme falls under the scratch ticket category, in which a retailer must sell a prize-winning ticket of $500,000 or higher to be eligible.