News writer
When it comes to summertime in the Midwest, we all know that means road construction. However, that road construction paid off big time for one lucky Missouri Lottery player!
Bridge closure for the win
A bridge in Missouri was recently closed for construction. While this is an inconvenience for most drivers, it ended up being a blessing in disguise for one lucky person, as the detour led them to buy a winning Lotto ticket and split a $2 million jackpot!
The winner, who recently claimed their prize at Missouri Lottery headquarters, told officials:
The bridge was out, so I had to go the other way.
That detour put the lucky winner on a different route, and they passed by Trex Mart 2, located at 15590 Highway 92 in Tracy. The winner decided to stop in and purchase a Lotto ticket for the June 15 drawing.
This wasn't a normal thing for the winner, as he said he played Lotto for the first time ever last year. What made him play again? He said:
I just decided to stop by and went in, and that was that.
Checking his winning numbers
The next day, he checked his numbers while he was making dinner. He said:
I saw the 35 at the end, and then I saw the 33, and I thought, “Oh boy, we're on to something!”
He definitely was on to something, as his ticket matched all six of the numbers drawn to win the jackpot prize. The winning numbers for that June 15 drawing were 3, 9, 15, 27, 33, and 35.
He said:
It was just unbelievable! I never would have gone in there if that bridge wasn't closed.
The jackpot that night happened to be $2 million, but another lucky ticket holder also matched all six numbers. That meant the two players split the $2 million prize, with each of them winning $1 million. The second jackpot-winning ticket for that June 15 drawing was purchased at Price Chopper, located at 1305 N. 7 Highway in Blue Springs.
Family comes first for this lucky winner
Another recent Missouri Lottery player couldn't believe it when he scratched his instant ticket and revealed a $100,000 winner. His first call was to his daughter, whom he now plans on buying a new car.
He told state lottery officials:
That's what family is about.
The big winner stopped to get gas at On the Run, located at 9401 Manchester Road in St. Louis. He never planned on buying any tickets, but he was standing in a longer line waiting to pay and just decided to try his luck. He said he waited to scratch the ticket until he got home, which was probably a smart choice.
As he laughed, he said:
I probably wouldn't have made it home.
It took him a moment to realize that he even won.
I thought, “This can't even be possible.” I thought, “Okay, maybe it's a misprint or something like that.” The odds of all those millions of people and then me getting it is bizarre.
He won playing $100,000 Diamond Dazzler, a $5 ticket. Missouri Lottery officials said players have won more than $14.7 million in prizes on the ticket, with $4.3 million still unclaimed — including one more $100,000 top prize.
Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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