Missouri

Lottery player thinks he won $5,000 on forgotten Missouri ticket — then sees mistake

A forgotten lottery ticket turned out to be a big Missouri winner.
A forgotten lottery ticket turned out to be a big Missouri winner. Photo by Missouri Lottery

Rain poured down as a Missouri man left a grocery store with a lottery ticket in hand, so he tucked it into his back pocket for safekeeping.

He forgot about the ticket until he stopped for gas in St. Charles, about a 20-mile drive northwest from St. Louis. He pulled it from his pocket at the gas station counter, scratched it and looked at the clerk in shock, he told the Missouri Lottery in a Nov. 8 news release.

“I think I just won $5,000,” the winner told the clerk, according to the news release.

He took another look at the ticket and realized there was a mistake.

“I didn’t win $5,000,” he said in the release. “I ended up winning $50,000!”

The man bought the “$1,000,000 Winnings” Scratchers ticket at a Dierbergs grocery store in St. Charles. His ticket revealed one of five $50,000 prizes, according to the Missouri Lottery.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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Kate Linderman
mcclatchy-newsroom
Kate Linderman covers national news for McClatchy’s real-time team. She reports on politics and crime and courts news in the Midwest. Kate is a 2023 graduate of DePaul University and is based in Chicago.
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