Lottery Announces Third $10,000 Wheel Of Fortune© Winner

March 26, 2010

The third $10,000 winner from the West Virginia Lottery’s five monthly Wheel of Fortune© drawings was Taew Smith, 57, of Lorado, according to Lottery Director John Musgrave.

A homemaker, Smith said her husband is a retired Logan County miner. They have three children and five grandchildren.

Held today in Charleston, the drawing is one of a series of monthly events that lottery officials announced to help celebrate the agency’s 24th anniversary. The promotion offers players five monthly $10,000 prizes, a $250,000 grand prize, and two trips to Hollywood for Wheel of Fortune© auditions.

The Lottery’s Wheel of Fortune© instant game includes “Free Play” tickets that can be won by players. Those tickets represent entries that can be mailed to the Lottery for inclusion in each monthly drawing for one $10,000 cash prize. Remaining drawings are scheduled for Feb. 26, March 26, April 30, and May 28.

In addition, a grand prize drawing is slated for June 25 in which entries will be drawn for a $250,000 cash prize and two trip packages to Hollywood for Wheel of Fortune© auditions.

Musgrave said that to improve odds of winning for players, each month’s drawing will include only tickets that were not used in previous drawings. Excluding those entries drawn for $10,000 prizes, all remaining entries will be included in the grand prize drawing. The deadline for entries will be by the end of the business day one day prior to the date of each drawing; any entries received after that day will be included in the following drawing.

Previous $10,000 monthly winners include Debra Hull of Buckhannon and David Hunley of Hurricane.

Drawing rules stipulate that players may not win more than one $10,000 monthly prize; if they have entries drawn after their cash wins, they will be included in the last grand prize drawing. The next drawing will be held April 30.