Aurora Kephart was serving a regular customer at Conway's Restaurant and Lounge in Springfield, where customers can get food, drinks and play the lotto. The man often tips her with Keno tickets from the Oregon lottery, and on Tuesday night, he asked Kephart to choose two.
When she checked the numbers, her first ticket won $5. The second won $17,500.
"I automatically handed him back the ticket, and I said, 'I'm sorry, I can't take it.' And he had me sign it, and he said, 'You're the only one who can cash it now,'" Kephart said.
Kephart said she gave the man, who wanted to remain anonymous, a percentage of her winnings. She said she plans to buy a new couch and save the rest of the money.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
