WILSON — Who would have ever thought that a recent trip to Great Bend to purchase a new water tank for a reverse osmosis drinking system would result in winning $77,777?

Kathleen Zelenka of Wilson would.

“I was shocked,” she said in an interview this past week with the Independent-Reporter. “I couldn’t believe I won. It will help pay a lot of bills off.”

After picking up the new water tank, Zelenka decided to stop at the Handlebar and Grill in Great Bend to pick up lunch to take home. Before that, however, she dropped by Casey’s General Store on 10th Street to purchase three Emerald 7 Kansas Lottery tickets to scratch while she was waiting on her food.

Zelenka scratched a $20 ticket before she left Great Bend. She waited until she was back at Wilson to look at the other two tickets.

When she scratched off her $77,777 winning ticket, Zelenka thought it was fake because the amount was so large.

She called her husband, Timothy, and told him to get home from work.

After examining the ticket, Timothy told his wife she did not win. The couple then argued about the rules of the game and after a closer examination, they discovered Zelenka may have indeed won the big prize money.

The Zelenkas drove to the Stop 2 Shop convenience store in Wilson to scan the ticket to make sure it was a winner.

One word from the scan gave the answer they had both expected — Congratulations.

Zelenka signed the ticket and drove it to the Kansas Lottery headquarters in Topeka to turn in.

Zelenka said she has played the Kansas Lottery since it started. “Just scratch tickets,” she said. “I don’t play the Power Ball — I don’t have any luck with that.” Previously, the most Zelenka had won on a scratch ticket was $500. In addition to paying bills, Zelenka said she plans to put some of the money away for her grandchildren as well as in savings. “It’s going to help us out in a big way,” she added. Zelenka said she learned an important lesson in her win. “I learned they really do have big winners,” she said. Her one piece of advise for her fellow Lottery ticket buyers — you’ve got to take a chance. “Keep buying them,” she added. “If you don’t buy them, you’ll never win.”