Fort Smith Man Hits $210,000 Lottery Jackpot On His Birthday

FORT SMITH, Ark. (KFSM) — One River Valley man received the best birthday gift after winning $210,000.

Rick Shelby bought a $1 Natural State Jackpot ticket on Tuesday (Jan. 28) at Casey’s General Store on Highway 71 in Fort Smith.

When Shelby, who frequently plays lottery draw games, checked the winning numbers on his cell phone and discovered he had won the jackpot, he said: “Finally! I got lucky!”

The winning numbers on Tuesday were 11, 15, 21, 29 and 33. Shelby won with a Quick Pick, although he says he usually selects his numbers.

Rick and his wife Susan enjoy golfing together and are planning to take a really nice golf trip. He said he plans to “put the rest of it back.”

Shelby is retired from the transportation industry and has two grown sons and two grandchildren.

The Natural State Jackpot re-started at $50,000 for last night’s drawing.

Bishop Woosley, Arkansas State Lottery director, said the lottery has seen a lot of big winners this month. A woman from Wynne claimed a $300,000 Play It Again prize.

Since Dec. 31, 2019, 46 people have claimed $10,000 top prizes from the $10,000 Stacked instant ticket. About 130 top prizes remain on that ticket, plus five $1 million prizes on scratch-offs are still available.

Woosley said all proceeds from lottery purchases help fund college scholarships for Arkansans.

More than 92 cents of every dollar of lottery revenue goes to prizes, scholarships, retailer commissions, and other expenses in Arkansas. Since 2009, the lottery has raised more than $914 million in proceeds for scholarships. More than 542,000 college scholarships have been awarded to Arkansans. The lottery has paid more than $3 billion in prizes to players, about $266 million in retailer commissions and more than $130 million state and federal tax revenue.