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Lacombe woman hits VLT jackpot

Worries about how her daughters’ educations would be paid for evaporated in the blink of an eye for a Lacombe woman who truly hit the jackpot at the Jackpot Casino in Red Deer.

Worries about how her daughters’ educations would be paid for evaporated in the blink of an eye for a Lacombe woman who truly hit the jackpot at the Jackpot Casino in Red Deer.

Early on Monday afternoon, the casino announced that one of its video lottery terminals had hit a casino record, paying out more than $1.2 million to Peggy-Sue Stuckky of Lacombe.

Stuckky said she is not a regular visitor to the casino, but had gone along with her friend, Diane Fischer, to play a few slots and have some lunch.

Stuckky said her buddy had given her a $20-bill to play the slots, but had to leave the casino for a few minutes and wasn’t there when she struck the big prize, a jackpot of $1,220,024.76.

There were no bells or whistles or other fanfare, she said, just a few clicks and there they were, the three diamonds that produce a big winner in the Diamond Millions progressive slots. The Diamond Millions is part of the province-wide video lottery network.

Stuckky said she forgot all about lunch and was so shaky, she doubts she could have eaten anything anyway.

Because the money she used to play the machine had been provided by her best friend, she felt it only right that they should split the profits.

Between the two women and Stuckky’s brother, that means six children and young adults will have money to cover their education.

Stuckky has two daughters, one 18 and one 23. The younger of the two is starting college in Red Deer this fall and her older sister is heading for four years of study in Vancouver after a two-year program in Lethbridge.

Stuckky said she had been considering taking a part time job along with her regular work to help pay for her daughters’ schooling.

Now, she can continue in her work with paper crafts and rubber stamping without worrying about where the money will come from.

She hopes to have a few dollars left over for a European vacation.

Stuckky’s jackpot is the second big winner in Central Alberta in recent weeks.

Bradley and Amanda Kelly, who live in Lacombe County, won $18.3 million off of a Lotto-649 ticket purchased in Claresholm on June 25.

The Alberta Lottery and Gaming Commission must verify Stuckky’s win before she and Fischer receive their prize, casino staff said on Monday.

bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com