FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOISE, Idaho – What started as a normal trip to Boise Towne Square for Dan Hihath and his son turned into the surprise of a lifetime. Hihath was one of two Idaho Lottery Big Spin winners who visited Boise Towne Square on Monday for a chance to win up to $125,000.

Hihath arrived at today’s event with his son and nonchalantly asked if it would be alright if he could spin the wheel. His son was shocked his dad had asked and then was even more stunned when the officials from the Lottery said, “Sure, why not!”

Unbeknownst to Hihath’s son, his dad’s winning ticket had been confirmed by Idaho Lottery Security over two weeks ago when the surprise outing was planned to coincide with northern Idaho resident Michael Hankins’ Big Spin event.

Shortly after 12 pm, with his son watching, Hihath got his Big Spin chance and won $70,000. He has some special plans with his winnings for his very surprised son.

“I didn’t tell him before the event I had actually won the Spin. It was a complete surprise,” explained Hihath, as he thanked Lottery officials for helping to spring the surprise. “My son is a local youth soccer player. He has been selected to participate in a weeklong training academy with Real Madrid in Spain. With the winnings, he’ll be able to go now in March.”

Hihath took his Big Spin after watching long-time northern Idaho resident Michael Hankins take his turn and win $60,000. “To be honest, I was really rooting for Dan to win!” said Haskins of Hihath’s spin.

These wins for Hankins and Hihath were the first two from the fourth edition of the popular game. There are four top prize tickets remaining in this edition of the game, each with the opportunity to visit Boise Towne Square and spin the big wheel for a chance to win up to $125,000.

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The Idaho Lottery responsibly provides a variety of entertaining games featuring Powerball, Mega Millions, Scratch GamesTM, 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 $5.8 billion in products, awarded more than $3.7 billion in prizes to players, returned $342 million in retail commissions, and distributed $1.273 billion in Lottery dividends to Idaho public schools and buildings. To learn more, please visit www.idaholottery.com.