East Falmouth family wins $100,000 Keno lottery prize 3 times with same numbers
EAST FALMOUTH - At some point, most of us dream of winning a lottery prize of some sort.
But for a woman from East Falmouth, it has come true -- TWICE in the last three weeks.
It was a slow Wednesday night at Papa Jake's Sports Bar on Sandwich Road, but waitress Tricia Johnson had plenty on her plate.
"I find myself thinking about it all the time," says the 59-year-old.
And who can blame her?
On March 22, she played her customary Keno numbers after work, betting a little of her tip money on the consecutive numbers 1 through 10 -- and she hit them all -- winning $100,000.
"I thought someone was messing with me," she told us. "I thought I was looking at the wrong thing."
But it was legit -- $71,000 after taxes.
So, after clocking out on Monday night, Tricia gave those same numbers another try.
"It's just crazy," she says. "It's like lightning struck twice."
She won $100,000 again and even if she didn't believe it.
"I woke my husband up and made him confirm that I was really looking at what I was looking at."
"She was a celeb before the money," says longtime customer Sean Dailey. "Now that she's won, the sky's the limit."
But it would get even better.
Tricia's son John bought a brand new Jeep Tuesday. No, not with money he borrowed from mom.
It turns out, he figured she'd been so lucky when she won a few weeks ago that on Monday night, he bet the very same numbers she did.
And yes, John Johnson also won $100,000, even though he didn't want to chat with WBZ-TV about it.
"We just laughed and cried and hugged," says Tricia. "It was incredible."
When she's not waitressing, Tricia drives a school bus for kids with special needs, and her husband is disabled.
So $140,000 in the bank will really help with bills and much-needed home repairs.
"It takes a little of the burden off," she told us.
And her customers are thrilled for her.
"She's salt of the earth," says Sean Dailey. "She does back to back with her son the second time. I mean, it doesn't get any better than that."
Now everyone in town knows Tricia and her numbers.
But she's not betting on another lightning strike.
"So I can probably stop playing them now," she says with a chuckle, "because I'm SURE it won't happen again."