Platte City man reveals $2 million lottery win on Christmas Day

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A northwest Missouri man held on to a secret for three weeks to give his wife the Christmas surprise of a lifetime.

Robert Bowlin, of Platte City, won a Missouri Lotto jackpot in early December, splitting a $4 million prize with another person who correctly matched all six numbers.

Bowlin, a retired operating engineer, discovered he had won Dec. 3.

He notified a financial adviser and a CPA but otherwise didn’t tell anyone until Christmas, when he told his wife.

He collected his winnings Dec. 29. The father of three and grandfather of two says he hasn’t made any plans for his winnings.

Bowlin bought his winning ticket from Trex Mart 2 in Tracy, which gets $2,500 for selling a winning ticket.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 8:25 AM with the headline "Platte City man reveals $2 million lottery win on Christmas Day."