BOISE, Idaho ÔÇô Last week, Bradley Smith was supposed to attend a softball tournament for his daughter in Tremonton, Utah ÔÇô about 30 miles south of the Idaho border. Inclement weather, though, canceled the event. Instead, he continued his drive up I-15 to Malad where he purchased a Powerball ticket then sat and played Scratch Games^TM for a while. The rainout and subsequent drive to Idaho proved to be profitable for the South Jordan man as he won the top prize of $300,000 on the Idaho Lottery's First Class Fortune Scratch Game which was purchased at Top Stop Chevron in Malad.

"It was the last one I played," said Smith. "I got it out of the vending machine. I couldn't really believe it. It was Friday afternoon and the lady working in the store told me I didn't have time to make it to Boise, so I drove home with the ticket worth $300,000 in my car."

After a long weekend, Smith returned to Idaho on Monday and claimed his prize from the Idaho Lottery.

"It's a life changer," admitted Smith who plans to pay down his mortgage with his winnings. "As I get older, having more time is important, so paying off the mortgage is a step in that direction."

This is the final top prize in the game First Class Fortune. This game has a second-chance entry where players enter non-winning First Class Fortune tickets on-line at vip.idaholottery.com or through tele-entry at 208-334-4656 for a chance to win four first class airline tickets from any single, major domestic international airport to any major international airport destination in the world. The prize also includes $10,000 cash, after withholding taxes are paid, to spend upon arrival. The final time players may enter the second-chance draw is Monday, May 4, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) Mountain Time.

For their part in selling the winning ticket, Top Stop Chevron in Malad receives a bonus from the Idaho Lottery of $20,000.

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ABOUT THE IDAHO LOTTERY
The Idaho Lottery responsibly provides a variety of entertaining games featuring Powerball, Mega Millions, Scratch Games^TM, and PullTabs with a high degree of integrity to maximize the dividend for Idaho public schools and the permanent building fund. Since their inception in 1989, the Idaho Lottery has sold over $2.7 billion in products, awarded over $1.6 billion in prizes to players, returned more than $160 million in retail commissions, and distributed $649.5 million in Lottery dividends to Idaho public schools and the Permanent Building Fund. To learn more, please visit www.idaholottery.com.