Lotto's Biggest Winner -- Out-Of-Work Spanaway Man Wins Jackpot Of $21 Million

An out-of-work former Boeing employee, Port Arthur Tuley Jr. of Spanaway, Pierce County, is the winner of the $21 million jackpot, the state lottery's biggest Lotto prize to date.

Tuley, 45, said that Thursday was his lucky day. Out of work since November, he had received a call from an Everett company for a job interview. To celebrate, Tuley spent $20 on Lotto tickets.

The drawing was at 7 p.m., but he didn't discover he was the winner until he started checking his Lotto tickets late Saturday night.

The winning numbers were 28, 29, 30, 32, 36 and 44.

Tuley and his wife of eight years, Judy, are unsure what they will do with the money. But the first order of business will be to pay off bills and share with family and friends.

Tuley, who called the Everett company to tell them he had gotten a better offer, will receive 20 annual payments of $756,000, after a 28 percent federal tax deduction.

Lining up for Lotto tickets was one of the most popular activities in the state Saturday. The huge prize attracted $9.5 million in sales, with lottery officials estimating that up to 75 percent of all Washington residents 18 years and older bought a

ticket.