Madison woman claims $390,000 Lucky for Life prize

The April 1, 2019 Lucky for Life drawing resulted in a $390,000 prize for Ordal. The Madison resident garnered the game’s second largest prize by matching 5 of 5 winning numbers. She was just a match of the game’s Lucky Ball away from claiming the top prize. Ordal also had the option of collecting $25,000 a year for the rest of her life.

“I called Newell (her husband) into the computer room and asked if it was an April Fool’s joke,” Ordal said. “Thank goodness it wasn’t.”

While the date provided Ordal with a unique win, the circumstances in which she obtained her ticket were also out of the ordinary. She usually buys Lucky for Life tickets in Madison, but her birthday trip to visit her son led to her purchase of the winning ticket at the Gas N’ More in Brookings.

While the site of her purchase was out of the ordinary, Ordal stuck to her routine when it comes to Lucky for Life. She notes that she tests her luck in the game because she usually wins a portion of her money back.

“I like it because I might spend $4 on it, and quite often I win $3 back,” Ordal said. “You don’t always do that with the other tickets.”

Ordal isn’t alone in her good fortune when it comes to Lucky For Life. Since the game was introduced in South Dakota on June 5, 2017, three South Dakotans have claimed the game’s second prize, while another has claimed the top prize.

Ordal and her husband are still in shock over winning, but they already have plans for their prize. The family plans to enjoy their increased financial stability, while also supporting their two sons.

“We used our savings to purchase our house, and we are very happy to be able to put this to the side for the time being and let it soak in,” Ordal said. “That’s the big thing. We don’t want to hurry and jump into anything big. We feel pretty secure, and we have two sons who will benefit from it later on.”

While the Ordals will surely enjoy their win, the family did note that it plans to continue playing lotto games. In fact, Barbara already has her Lucky for Life tickets ready for Thursday’s drawing.

While, they will continue to play, they offered some sound advice for their fellow players.

“We would just tell players to play conservatively,” Newell said. “It only takes one ticket to win.”

For more information on Lucky for Life, visit https://lottery.sd.gov/games/lottogames/luckyforlife/.