Local man hits big in lottery, plans to invest winnings

Winner initially shocked at amount

By DON WILBURN

donaldfwilburn@gmail.com

West Memphis resident Roland Newbern recently struck it lucky with a $50,000 win playing a scratch-off lottery game. He claimed his prize at the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Claim Center on March 4, after purchasing the winning ticket at a Tobacco Warehouse on Broadway he says.

Newbern, who bought the ticket during a quick tobacco store run before heading to his part-time job, decided to pick up three instant game tickets. An infrequent player, he opted for one of each of the first three games available. It wasn’t until he got home from work and scratched the ticket that he realized he had won big. Even bigger than he first thought.

“I started scratching the top row, and that’s when I knew I’d won something,” Newbern says. Initially thinking he had only won a few thousand dollars, he was shocked to discover the “5X” icon that awarded him the $50,000 top prize.

Stunned by his win, Newbern sat quietly in his room for thirty minutes, leaving his girlfriend and stepson concerned about his silence. The $50,000 prize is the largest he has ever won, with his previous winnings amounting to only $100 and $200.

“God is good,” Newbern said of his windfall. He plans to use his winnings to pay off his truck, catch up on other expenses, and invest the rest.

One West Memphis resident has fifty thousand new reasons to smile.

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