Bartender Tipped with Unplayed Lottery Ticket -- Want to Guess How Much It Won?

An Oregon bartender got the tip of a lifetime this week.

A customer at Conway's Restaurant and Lounge in Springfield often tips bartender Aurora Kephart with unplayed tickets for the state lottery's Keno game.

This time one of those tickets turned into a winner — and not just a few bucks.

Try $17,500.

Regular customer Jerry Arnett (left) congratulates bartender Aurora Kephart, who received a $17,500 tip this week in the form of a winning lottery ticket. (Image source: The Register-Guard/Chris Pietsch)

Kephart says the look on the customer's face was incredible. The 25-year-old tried to give him back the ticket, but he wouldn't take it, according to The Register-Guard, which adds that the generous tipper wants to remain anonymous.

After collecting her money, she gave the patron some of her winnings.

“The reaction [in the bar] was crazy,” Kephart told the Register-Guard. “Everyone was so amped up...The bar is 80 percent regulars, so everyone knows everyone. People were so excited for me.”

Kephart adds that she went right back to work after the news that she won since it was a busy night, despite her brain being “scrambled” by the big prize. The next day she claimed her winnings at the Oregon Lottery office in Salem, the Register-Guard says.

As for her share of the money, Kephart says she’s planning to buy a new couch and to save the rest.

“I never realized how expensive couches were,” she tells the Register-Guard. “Instead of waiting till Christmas or later, now I can buy something I really need.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

(H/T: The Register-Guard)

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