Belen woman wins $30,000 from New Mexico Lottery

Belen

Turn-about is fair play for Lora Barbee of Belen. As a floor attendant for a local casino, she helps pay jackpots to happy winners.

Now, the New Mexico Lottery has made Barbee one of those happy winners. Barbee has claimed a $30,000 prize from the lottery’s “Free Spot Bingo” scratcher game.

“I bought the ticket on my way to work,” Barbee said at the lottery headquarters in Albuquerque, according to a news release. “I scratched the ticket right away.”

After realizing that she had won, Barbee said, she asked for a day off from work to start sorting things out.

Then, she called her boyfriend and asked, “Can you use some money?” After she explained what she had just won, Barbee said his reaction was “No, you didn’t!”

She plans to use her prize to pay bills and save.

Barbee bought her winning ticket at Giant Convenience Store No. 39, at 19384 Highway 85 in Belen. It’s the 12th big ticket over $1,000 the store has sold.

According to Barbee, she likes bingo and crossword-style games because they take a little thought and a little more time. She says that $20 and $30 prizes from just one or two tickets are common, “and they keep me playing all week without having to spend any more.”

Nearly 800 Valencia County high school students have attended college with Lottery Success Scholarships, receiving more than $1.5 million in lottery-funded financial aid.

As of the spring 2001 semester, more than 125 college students were receiving Lottery Success Scholarships at the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus.

Previously, Valencia County public schools have received more than $4.9 million in lottery-funded construction awards in Belen and Los Lunas.

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school districts.

The New Mexico Lottery marked its sixth anniversary last month. Since its inception in April 1996 through the end of April 2002, the lottery has turned over more than $143 million to the State of New Mexico.

Of that, almost $76.5 million will have been earmarked for the Lottery Success Scholarship program. More than 18,000 students have received Lottery Success Scholarships.

Another $66.5 million was used for school construction and repairs in 61 school districts. All lottery profits are now used for college scholarships.