Two slices and a lot of cash: Pizza craving nets big win for Missouri lottery player
A Missouri man is richer after stopping at a local general store to satiate his pizza craving and winning big on his last minute scratch-off purchase, according to lottery officials.
“That day, I was hungry for pizza and went to the Casey’s in Bolivar and got a couple slices of pizza. Then I saw the ‘500X’ ticket and thought, ‘Well, alright, I’ll buy one,’” the anonymous winner told the Missouri Lottery Commission in a Nov. 29 news release.
“The very first thing I scratched off was that 500X symbol,” he said.
“I scratched off a $100 prize underneath,” he continued, “and I was so excited I couldn’t figure out how much money that actually was!”
He learned that meant he won $50,000, before taxes.
Each “500X” ticket is sold for $50, according to lottery officials.
As of Nov. 29, there remained over $190 million in unclaimed prizes for the game, officials say, “including two $5 million top prizes, three $1 million second prizes and 37 additional $50,000 prizes.”
Players in Polk County, where Bolivar is located, won more than $4.5 million in Missouri Lottery prizes in fiscal 2023,, according to lottery officials.
Bolivar, where the winning ticket was purchased, is about 140 miles southeast of Kansas City.
