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Five winning moments shape Missouri’s lottery luck

Stories by Kansas City Star journalists, with AI summarization

Missouri's lottery scene boasts five striking wins, each with a unique twist. An Oronogo woman uncovered a $128,000 Show Me Cash prize when her store clerk reacted in disbelief. A pair of everyday mishaps—forgotten sunglasses and a forgotten lunch—led two different Missouri men to scratch-off victories worth $50,000 in De Soto and a life-changing $3 million in Arnold.

Another winner in Fulton realized his ticket was worth $100,000, not $1,000 as he first thought, after double-checking missed words on a crossword scratcher. Rounding out these moments, a Mega Millions player in Missouri nearly hit the $162 million jackpot but still walked away with $1 million, highlighting how chance and quick decisions continue to shape lottery luck across the state.

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1 2 5 10 100 Different dollar bills in a pile as background currency

NO. 1: MEGA MILLIONS PLAYER JUST MISSES $162 MILLION JACKPOT — BUT STILL WINS BIG IN MISSOURI

The ticket matched five winning numbers but not the Mega Ball, lottery officials say. | Published July 7, 2024 | Read Full Story by Don Sweeney

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A Tampa woman searched at a Florida airport was found to have $71,300 crammed into her clothes and $31,000 in her luggage, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

NO. 2: STORE CLERK TAKES 2 STEPS BACK SEEING MISSOURI LOTTERY PLAYER’S BIG WIN. ‘OH, MY GOD’

The lottery player didn’t know she won until she saw the store clerk’s reaction. | Published July 24, 2024 | Read Full Story by Mike Stunson

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A Missouri lottery player thought he won $1,000. Then, he scanned his ticket to learn the prize was much more.

NO. 3: LOTTERY PLAYER ‘FLOORED’ WHEN MISSOURI SCRATCHER IS WORTH 100 TIMES MORE THAN HE THOUGHT

While scratching off a crossword game ticket, the Missouri man overlooked two words. | Published October 9, 2024 | Read Full Story by Kate Linderman

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. 4: MAN’S FORGOTTEN SUNGLASSES LEAD HIM TO HUGE MISSOURI LOTTERY WIN. ‘I WAS SO SHOCKED!’

The lottery winner said he called his wife and read the game’s instructions to make sure he won. | Published October 23, 2024 | Read Full Story by Mike Stunson

Ronnie Atkinson pleaded guilty to $3m bank fraud in Gray, Georgia. He used friends, fake bills of sale, and stolen IDs for Morris Bank loan scheme. By Vladimir Sukhachev

NO. 5: MAN SAYS FORGETTING LUNCH AT HOME LED HIM TO HUGE LOTTERY JACKPOT WIN IN MISSOURI

The man said he didn’t believe it until he “saw all the zeros.” | Published October 27, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jennifer Rodriguez

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.