Bartender Tipped $17,500: Lottery Ticket Tip Wins Big in Oregon
A bartender was tipped $17,500 in the form of a winning Keno ticket while working at her Springfield, Ore. Restaurant. Aurora Kephart is now thousands of dollars richer after a patron decided to tip her with a lottery ticket.
The bartender's $17,500 tip came Tuesday, when a regular at Conway's Restaurant and Lounge in Oregon decided to give 25-year-old Kephart the special gift. As a reward for her good service, he allowed her to select a pair of Keno tickets.
The first ticket the bartender had was a winner worth $5, but the second was a huge prize: $17,500. Kephart tried to give the ticket back to the regular patron, who has decided to remain anonymous, but he wouldn't have it.
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"The look on his face was incredible," she told The Register-Guard. "I automatically handed it back to him; it was his ticket."
He made Kephart sign it instead. Once the other patrons got wind of what had happened, they were very happy for her.
"The bar is 80 percent regulars, so everyone knows everyone. People were so excited for me," she said. "The reaction (in the bar) was crazy. Everyone was so amped up. I mean how often does that happen somewhere like Thurston?"
The next day, Kephart, who worked at Conway's for four years, claimed her prize at the Oregon State Lottery office in Salem. However, she didn't forget the patron who gave her what turned out to be a big tip.
"I couldn't not give him some of it," Kephart said. She gave him an undisclosed percentage of the winnings.
So far on her list of things to buy with the money are a new couch and other items she needs.
"Instead of waiting till Christmas or later, now I can buy something I really need," she added.
To see a video of Kephart and hear her story click here.
