- American bartender Taylor Russey, won $50,000 – the equivalent of R750,000 – in a US Powerball lottery drawing on October 19.
- A regular customer left her the ticket as a tip the night before.
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An American bartender is R750,000 richer after a customer tipped her with a US Powerball ticket that later turned out to be a winner.
Taylor Russey, 33, told the Missouri Lottery that a regular gave her a Powerbal ticket on October 18, and that it won $50,000, the equivalent of R750,000 in the subsequent night's drawing.
"One of the regulars will buy the rest of the regulars in the bar Lottery tickets every now and then, especially when it's high," Russey said. "And he did that on Saturday - he bought all of us Lottery tickets."
She says she found out about the win the next day, when the bar's lottery terminal notified staff that a winning ticket had been sold at their location. She scanned her ticket, and was told to come in to the lottery office to claim her prize.
Russey told Insider on Thursday that the customer who tipped her the ticket was the first person she called when she learned she had won.
"He was very happy for me ... said that's awesome and he's sure I could use it right now," Russey said.
She described him as a "super cool guy" who is "down to earth" and "just wants to see people happy and thriving."
"He's awesome and I'm grateful to have him in my life," she said.
Russey said she doesn't have any plans to spend the money on anything fun right now. She said she wants to get some dental work done, pay off some debt, and invest the rest.
In an interview with the New York Post on Wednesday, Russey said she has no plans to quit her job.
"No, I'm not that kind of person," Russey told the Post. "And this is not going to sustain me for the rest of my life. I still have to work."
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