Box Elder man claims Dakota Cash jackpot

Luke claimed a $331,506 Dakota Cash jackpot Tuesday. He purchased the ticket at the Loaf N Jug in Rapid City, located at 3106 W. Main St. The couple resides in Box Elder.

Prior to the Oct. 26 drawing, the Kochutins took note of the growing Dakota Cash jackpot and opted to buy more tickets than usual in hopes of their biggest win yet.

“My wife said that we should buy Dakota cash. She said that the odds, are better and the jackpot was getting bigger,” Luke said. “We kept thinking it would be nice enough to pay the house off. As it got higher, we bought more tickets.”

While the Kochutins had day dreamed about what winning the jackpot could do for them, the couple wasn’t aware of their life-changing prize until four days after the drawing.

“It was Sunday. It was kind of a last-minute thing,” Luke said. “I decided to check the ticket that was in our truck’s glove box before going to work.”

Luke’s routine check of his tickets soon turned to jubilation, as he quickly shared his disbelief with his wife and kids.

“My first reaction was ‘oh my god,’ over and over again,” Luke said. “I told Anita that she had to come right now then our kids were looking at us like we were nuts.”

Now that their dreams have turned into a reality, Luke and Anita plan on paying off their house, as well as making a trip to Alaska to visit family.

“It’s very nice,” Luke said. “It will be very helpful. It’s a blessing really. It’s something that’s going to help us get ahead.”

Luke, who noted that he purchases either scratch or lotto tickets two or three times a month, will test his luck again. While Luke hopes to obtain another jackpot-winning ticket in his near future, he did offer advice for his fellow players.

“I would say to keep playing, but stay within your means,” Luke said. “Take care of your family and business first, but keep trying.”

The Dakota Cash game is exclusive to South Dakota with drawings each Wednesday and Saturday. For more information on the game, visit https://lottery.sd.gov/games/lottogames/dakotacash.