LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Robert McAlister of Malvern was randomly selected on Friday, Feb. 22 as the second of two winners of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery’s (ASL) Willy Wonka Billion Dollar ChallengeTM Second-Chance Promotion.
He will travel to Las Vegas in April for the opportunity to play for $1 billion. McAlister’s dad, who he hasn’t seen in 12 years, lives in Las Vegas so he is looking forward to reconnecting with him.
“We have stayed in touch, but we just haven’t been able to get together,” McAlister said. “It is great that winning this trip will give me the opportunity to see him. My 15-year-old son has never met his granddad so I would love to take him with me if possible.”
McAlister is actually an alternate since one of the two winners drawn for the prize on Thursday, Jan. 31 did not claim the prize by the deadline. So McAlister feels extra lucky.
He entered non-winning Willy Wonka Golden Tickets into the promotion through the ASL’s player’s club, The Club. His prize includes round-trip airfare for two to Las Vegas April 14-17, 2019, three night’s accommodations at a deluxe hotel, and $1,000 spending money.
The Billion Dollar Challenge is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16 with prizewinners from other participating lottery jurisdictions. McAlister will have a chance to win a cash prize from $1,000 up to $1 billion along with Albert Pyle of Mabelvale who also won Arkansas’s Second-Chance Promotion trip to Las Vegas.
McAlister said he is involved with his son’s athletic activities and enjoys being able to help other youth who maybe don’t have the money to buy football shoes or a meal after a game.
“I want to help those who need it,” he said.