Kentucky woman wins $175,000 from lottery tickets won at white elephant game

A Kentucky woman has won big in a white elephant gift exchange after a co-worker “stole” her original gift, a $25 TJ Maxx gift card.

Louisville’s Lori Janes won $175,000 after scratching off a Kentucky Lottery Hit The Jackpot ticket she received Wednesday at Harmon Dental Center’s Christmas party.

The dentist office manager originally gave away a $25 TJ Maxx before her colleague “stole” the gift, per the game’s rules.

White Elephant – sometimes called “Yankee Swap” or “Dirty Santa” – is a gift exchange game in which players aim to go home with the best present. In the order of the numbers drawn, players choose to either open a present or “steal” someone else’s already opened one. The game ends after everyone has had their turn, the first player has had a chance to trade their gift, and everyone is happy with their loot – refuse to steal a gift.

Janes was originally “disappointed” with the Nab because she “loves shopping at TJ Maxx,” the Kentucky Lottery said. In return, she stole $25 lottery tickets from another co-worker, sealed the deal, and officially made the gift hers.

“As soon as it came to me, it was done and I got to keep it. Everyone told me to scratch them off,” Janes told the Kentucky Lottery.

Jane’s won $50 on the first ticket. When she scratched off the Hit the Jackpot ticket, she found that she had won a whopping $175,000.

Louisville’s Lori Janes (pictured) won $175,000 after scratching a ticket from the Kentucky Lottery Hit The Jackpot, which she received at Harmon Dental Center’s Christmas party on Wednesday

The dentist office manager originally snatched a $25 TJ Maxx gift card before her colleague stole the gift per the game rules. In return, she stole $25 lottery tickets from another co-worker, sealed the deal, and officially made the gift hers

“Everybody went crazy,” she said. “People pulled out their calculators and double-checked. A few people even scanned the ticket on the lottery’s app just to be sure.

“I could not believe it. It was a $25 gift exchange and I won $175,000!’

When she called her husband and children to tell her about the holiday surprise, they didn’t believe her, thinking she had misread the ticket – until they heard their colleagues cheer.

“We thought she wasn’t looking at it properly, but then we heard people partying in the background, it got real,” her husband, who was not named, told lottery officials.

Just hours later, flanked by her family, she took home a huge check for $124,250 after taxes.

The Sunrise Market in Fisherville, where the winning tickets were sold, will receive a $1,750 bonus.

A portion of the prize money will go towards paying off her daughter’s student loans and the family’s vehicles, Fox News reported.

Jane’s won $50 on the first ticket. When she scratched off the Hit the Jackpot ticket, she found she’d won a whopping $175,000 (pictured).

Her colleagues (pictured) cheered her on as she played. “Everybody went crazy,” she said. “People pulled out their calculators and double-checked. A few people even scanned the ticket in the lottery’s app, just to be sure.

When she called her husband and children to tell her about the Christmas surprise, they didn’t believe her and thought she had misread the ticket until they heard their colleagues cheer