Imagine getting a lottery scratch-off ticket as a gift and hitting it big!

Well, that's exactly what happened to a New Jersey public school teacher who hit the jackpot with a scratch-off given to her by a parent.

And just wait until you hear how long she had the ticket in her car before realizing she was a big winner.

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Read More: How Many Good Days Do People in New Jersey Really Have Each Year?

School Year-End Gift Turns Into $500,000 Prize

The teacher, who would prefer to remain anonymous, as well as the school, won $500,000 on the $10 The Shore Thing ticket that she received as an end-of-the-year gift from a parent.

She had it in her car for nearly a month!

“I had a stack of cards as gifts, and I had forgotten I left them there,” the teacher said while claiming the prize at the New Jersey Lottery office in Lawrence, Mercer County. “One morning, I went out to the car and thought that I’d see if I won any gas money,” according to NJ.com.

One thing's for sure - she's got enough gas money now to last a long, long time!

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Winning Scratch-Off Ticket Purchased In Ocean County

NJ.com reports that, according to lottery records, the winning ticket was purchased at Gurdev Gas on Route 9 in the Bayville section of Berkeley.

The game started a few months ago, and this winning scratch-off is the first of three $500,000 tickets to be claimed for the game.

Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash
Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash
Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash

 

That's what makes New Jersey lottery tickets such a great gift!

No one really expects to win, especially not that kind of money.

And if you think $500,000 sounds like a lot, wait until you hear about the biggest jackpots in U.S. history.

LOOK: The largest lottery jackpots in US history

Stacker compiled a list of the 15 largest lottery jackpots in U.S. history from news reports and lottery press releases. [This list is current as of July 25, 2023.]

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America's Top 10 States With The Most Lottery Wins

Just how lucky is your state? A new list has determined which states have won the most money from either the Powerball or MegaMillions in the last 10 years.

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Boost Your Chances: The Best NJ Lottery Scratch-Off Games

These are the NJ Lottery scratch-off tickets with the most remaining prizes.

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