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Eleven unforgettable Missouri lottery wins that changed lives

Stories by Kansas City Star journalists, with AI summarization

Missouri has seen some remarkable lottery wins that truly changed lives. A man in St. James won $77,777 after stopping for a soda due to low blood sugar—a simple decision that turned into plans for a new house. Another winner said he began to panic after realizing his 777 Jackpot ticket was actually worth $777,777, ensuring a memorable anniversary trip.

Unexpected joy hit a couple in Maryland Heights who first believed they had $50,000, but their Black Diamond scratch-off revealed a $1 million windfall. In another case, a woman in St. Louis thought her Big Cash Riches ticket brought her $20,000, but as she scratched further, she discovered a $100,000 jackpot, leaving her and her son stunned.

Nobody won the grand prize, which rises to an estimated $133 million, with a cash value of about $60.3 million.

NO. 1: COUPLE THOUGHT THEY WON $50K IN MISSOURI LOTTERY, BUT WAS MUCH MORE. ‘WENT BALLISTIC’

The woman said she began crying when she saw the prize. | Published June 5, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jennifer Rodriguez

A longtime lottery player’s luck finally changed in the Maryland Powerball, winning them a big prize.

NO. 2: LOTTERY PLAYER WINS LIFE-CHANGING PRIZE ON SCRATCH-OFF. ‘I GOT IN THE CAR AND YELLED’

The Michigan man said he initially thought the scanner was broken. | Published July 9, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jennifer Rodriguez

David Russell, of Newton, Iowa, won a $50,000 lottery prize.

NO. 3: ‘SPEECHLESS’ COUPLE INITIALLY THOUGHT THEY WON $500 IN LOTTERY. ‘ADD SOME ZEROES’

“I’ve been thrilled to death to tell others, to show others, how real it really is, that it’s fact and not fiction,” the Iowa winner said. | Published September 5, 2024 | Read Full Story by Mike Stunson

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NO. 4: MEGA MILLIONS PLAYER JUST MISSES $387 MILLION JACKPOT IN MISSOURI — BUT STILL WINS BIG

The ticket matched five winning numbers but not the Mega Ball. | Published November 17, 2024 | Read Full Story by Don Sweeney

A longtime lottery player’s luck finally changed in the Maryland Powerball, winning them a big prize.

NO. 5: MEGA MILLIONS PLAYER JUST MISSES $1.2 BILLION JACKPOT IN MISSOURI — BUT STILL WINS BIG

A California player hit the grand prize. | Published December 29, 2024 | Read Full Story by Don Sweeney

Nobody won the grand prize, which rises to an estimated $133 million, with a cash value of about $60.3 million.

NO. 6: ‘ARE YOU KIDDING ME?’ MAN WINS HUGE PRIZE ON CROSSWORD LOTTERY GAME IN ARKANSAS

The man and his daughter were both in disbelief. | Published January 29, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jennifer Rodriguez

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A woman won a jackpot prize playing the Missouri Lottery’s Big Cash Riches game.

NO. 7: LOTTERY PLAYER’S ‘MOUTH DROPPED OPEN’ WHEN MISSOURI WIN WAS REVEALED. ‘WE’RE RICH!’

The mother said she had the ticket on her nightstand for two weeks before she finally scratched it off. | Published February 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Mike Stunson

Price Chopper, 109 N. Cedar Drive in Belton, sold a $50,000 Powerball ticket in September 2024. The winner has until March 30 to claim the prize.

NO. 8: 2 UNCLAIMED $50,000 MISSOURI LOTTERY TICKETS EXPIRE SOON. ARE THEY YOURS?

If the winners don’t come forward by March 29, the money will go to benefit public education, the Missouri Lottery said in a press release. | Published March 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joseph Hernandez

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A Missouri lottery player “randomly” bought a 777 Jackpot ticket and won big.

NO. 9: MAN’S LOW BLOOD SUGAR LEADS HIM TO BUY A SODA — AND A WINNING MISSOURI LOTTERY TICKET

“I was just in disbelief,” the winner said. | Published April 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Mike Stunson

A South Carolina woman won $300,000 on a scratch-off ticket three years after winning a $250,000 lottery prize, lottery officials said.

NO. 10: MAN THINKS JACKPOT MISSOURI LOTTERY TICKET IS FAKE. THEN HE ‘STARTED TO PANIC’

“It was such an odd experience,” the winner said. | Published April 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Mike Stunson

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A South Carolina woman won $300,000 on a scratch-off ticket three years after winning a $250,000 lottery prize, lottery officials said.

NO. 11: LOTTERY PLAYER WAS ‘HOPPING AROUND’ WITH CO-WORKER AFTER WINNING JACKPOT ON BREAK

“It felt like I went to sleep almost,” the Missouri winner said. | Published May 6, 2025 | Read Full Story by Mike Stunson

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.