Good news still does travel by mail

Mary Fahlman has finally ended the Idaho Lottery suspense.

Many lottery scratch players have been canvassing retailers in recent weeks to buy remaining Bonus Play Cashword tickets since 99.9 percent of them have been sold and the last top prize of $50,000 hadn't been claimed.

Unfortunately for them, Fahlman was identified Friday as the winner, but not without a story to go with it.

Fahlman, of Portland, Ore., bought her $5 ticket in June at the Jifi Stop on Appleway in Coeur d'Alene while visiting her daughter, who lives in Post Falls.

"It's one of the more amazing stories we've had about a winning ticket," said David Workman, Idaho Lottery spokesman.

Fahlman didn't realize until mid-July that she had a winning ticket - a $1,000 one, she thought.

In early September, Fahlman finally mailed an Idaho Lottery claim form and the signed winning ticket for payment.

But there was a hiccup. Fahlman forgot the postage.

A month later, the envelope was returned to Fahlman with a bright red stamp stating that $6.59 in postage was due.

Realizing her error and still believing she'd won $1,000, Fahlman re-mailed the claim information to Boise and the ticket arrived on Thursday.

The surprises didn't end there, however.

Idaho Lottery contacted Fahlman to find out the story behind one of the most sought-after tickets in Idaho and to let her know about her good fortune.

"After hearing the ticket's odyssey - at least 2,000 miles traveled through three states - lottery officials informed her that it was a remarkable trek for a ticket that was not worth $1,000," Workman said. "Notably, Mary was disappointed until Lottery officials informed her the winning ticket was the top prize of $50,000."

Fahlman told lottery officials she was "overwhelmed" by the news.

"Oh my heavens," she told Idaho Lottery. "My goodness gracious. This is the most wonderful news I've heard. That was the best $6 I ever spent."

If nothing else, Fahlman's delay in claiming her prize boosted sales for the scratch tickets.

Fahlman plans to put the winnings into her savings account until she decides how to spend the money.

The take-home pay for the ticket is $33,800. There were two top prizes in the game and both were sold in Coeur d'Alene.

The other winner was purchased by Coeur d'Alene's Dirk Ferrell, from Safeway on Neider Avenue on Sept. 10. That ticket also arrived at Idaho Lottery via mail, Workman said.