Woman wins lottery, buys gift cards for strangers
Crystal Dunn (Credit: Kentucky Lottery)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Crystal Dunn said she’s always looking for ways to help others, and that notion didn’t change even when she recently won the lottery.
The Louisville, Kentucky, woman recently won $146,000.
Earlier this month, Dunn played the Bank Buster Jackpot Instant Play game online, waging $20. A few seconds later, she got a message on her computer screen saying that she had won the progressive jackpot which starts at $100,000 and increases with each ticket purchase.
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"I saw that and didn’t believe it at first," Dunn said in a news release. "It’s a pretty exciting feeling. I never thought I would win something like this, but this goes to show it can happen."
Lottery officials said Dunn received $103,909.73, after taxes. After that, she stopped by a Meijer store where she purchased $2,000 in gift cards. She then walked around the store and handed out gift cards to random strangers.
Dunn said a few people were taken aback by her offer, thinking she had a hidden motive. But she assured them that she believed "in paying it forward."
"I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve had. This is a pretty amazing gift," she added.
Dunn told lottery officials she plans to use the remainder of her winnings to buy a car and pay off bills.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.