Idaho-only draw games remain very popular with players. The longstanding game Weekly Grand recorded three jackpot winners in just three weeks from late August through mid-September. Each player won $77,381 and they hailed from every corner of the Gem State.
Kicking off the fun on August 26 was longtime player Dennis Vest. Dennis played his grandkids’ birthdays as numbers and won the jackpot! Dennis said he had been playing the same number for a few weeks. And the timing of his win could not have been better as he was set to retire from his job at the end of the month. He purchased his winning ticket from the Fred Meyer store on Franklin and Orchard on the Boise Bench.
Two weeks later, Stephen Olsen from Coeur d’Alene arrived in Boise on September 9 holding a jackpot winning Weekly Grand ticket he purchased from the Super 1 Foods on Kathleen in Coeur d’Alene. A regular player also, Stephen was thrilled to win, but admits he participates because the Lottery benefits education in Idaho.
“I like playing the Idaho games because I think you have a better chance to win,” said Stephen. “What I really love, though, is that the Lottery benefits the schools. I’m a VIP Club member and I like to donate my points to support the school projects, especially buying books for the schools.”
Ten days later, Frank Brown, Jr. from Chubbuck arrived at Idaho Lottery offices in Boise with his jackpot winning Weekly Grand ticket. Although he won $2,000 a few years ago, Frank said he had never won big and didn’t really believe that he had won. He had the clerks at the Smiths store on Chubbuck Ave and Yellowstone in Chubbuck pull up the winning numbers report and print a copy that showed his ticket matched the winning numbers, landing him the $77,381 jackpot! Frank’s big win was a long time in the making, admitting he had been playing the Lottery at the same store since the Lottery began back in 1989.
Weekly Grand is an Idaho-only draw game, with drawings every night. The jackpot prize is the equivalent of winning $1,000 a week for an entire year with the Lottery also paying the state and federal withholding taxes. Since debuting twelve years ago in 2011, Weekly Grand has recorded 52 jackpot winners!
