Lucky player wins $25,000 on their first-ever lottery ticket

By Kate Northrop

MERIDEN, Kan. — A Kansas woman took home a $25,000 top prize while playing the lottery for the very first time, just four days after her 18th birthday.

Sloan Stanley of Meriden is a winner of many firsts — not only did she win the first top prize of the Kansas Lottery's "Cash Cow" scratch-off game, but it's her first and only lottery ticket purchase ever.

"I bought the Cash Cow ticket because I like cows and thought it would was cute," Stanley gleefully explained. "I was in shock that the first ticket I ever bought ended up winning $25,000!"

The first person she told about her big win was her father, who could not believe the news. He had to review the ticket himself to confirm that his daughter had indeed scooped up such a big sum of cash.

"My family is all super excited and happy for me, and they still can't believe it!" the lucky winner told the Lottery.

With plans to attend Fort Hays State University in the fall and begin her studies in Elementary Education, Stanley said that the timely prize will help make achieving her goals a little easier.

"I'm excited to start college later this year, and I hope this will help me graduate without debt!" she said in a press release.

Stanley purchased her first ticket for $5 while she was at work at the Country Harvest Apple Market on K-4 Highway in Meriden and took home the first of six available top prizes of $25,000. There are four second prizes of $1,000 and 42 third prizes of $500 left to claim in the "Cash Cow" game.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Sloan Stanley won $25,000 after buying her first lottery ticket.