A Clark County man recently had his biggest stroke of luck with a previously nonwinning instant ticket.

M. Irby won $250,000 in the Oct. 8 Play It Again® Second-Chance drawing with a $20 200X the Cash scratch-off ticket, and he claimed his prize at the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) Claim Center on the same day.

“It really still hasn’t sunk in yet,” Irby told lottery officials. “You dream of it happening, but it’s one of those things that’s bigger than life.”

Irby was at home, dozing off in front of his TV, when a phone call woke him. Expecting someone else, he answered, only to be greeted by an Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) representative who announced that he had won the $250,000 second-chance prize. A longtime lottery player, Irby had regularly entered his nonwinning instant tickets into The Club, a members-only platform for ASL players to join Play It Again cash drawings and other special second-chance promotions. Still, the news came as a shock.

“I immediately thought it was a scam or a prank,” he said.

Irby’s disbelief was understandable; previously, his biggest prize was $2,500.

He rushed to the ASL Claim Center before sharing the good news with anyone else to make sure it was real. So far, the lucky winner has not yet made plans for his prize.

“I’ve thought about it before, but when it happens, you suddenly don’t know,” Irby laughed.

Play It Again Second-Chance drawings offer Arkansas lottery players another chance to win big prizes with their nonwinning scratch-off tickets. The next drawing will be held on Feb. 4, 2027, and the prize is $400,000. To join The Club and learn more about second chance promotions, visit theclub.aslplayerservices.com/drawings or download the official AR Lottery + The Club App.

About the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery
The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) creates winning people, winning futures, and winning moments. Since 2009, the ASL has sold over $8.7 billion and returned more than $1.6 billion for scholarships to benefit Arkansas students. More than 873,000 college scholarships distributed by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education have been awarded to Arkansans. As of September 30, 2026, the lottery has awarded more than $5.9 billion in prizes to players, more than $494 million in retailer commissions, and provided more than $462 million in state and federal tax revenue.

Follow the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery on Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram. Visit MyArkansasLottery.com for more information on scholarships, winners, games, odds, promotions – and to join The Club for free. To get help with problem gambling, contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.