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Spare change turns into a $1 million win for Missouri Lotto winner

Second lucky winner claims prize!

Price Chopper, located at 1304 N. 7 Highway in Blue Springs.
Price Chopper, located at 1304 N. 7 Highway in Blue Springs, where the $1 million Missouri Lotto ticket was sold. Photograph credit to Google Maps.
Todd Betzold

Sometimes, taking that spare change you have on hand can pay off — ask this new Missouri Lottery winner, who just claimed their $1 million Lotto jackpot!

From change to millions

The lucky winner was making a pit stop at Price Chopper, located at 1304 N. 7 Highway in Blue Springs. When he got his change back from the purchase, he decided to take that money and purchase a Lotto ticket for the June 15 drawing. It turned out to be a very wise decision, as he won $1 million!

The lucky man told Missouri Lottery officials:

I was picking up a few things and got some change back, so I went to the machine and bought a Lotto ticket.

The winning numbers for that June 15 drawing were 3, 9, 15, 27, 33, and 35, and he happened to match all six of the numbers to win the jackpot. However, there were two lucky tickets that matched that night, so he would split the jackpot, with each getting $1 million.

The other winner had an interesting story, too, as a bridge detour led them to their $1 million win.

'Like a musical cacophony'

The day after the drawing, the lucky winner decided to check his ticket using the state's Lottery app and he got a message he's never seen before. He said it was an “odd response” and it told him that he's won and he needs to check with a retailer.

He told his wife he was going to have to get his tickets checked by a Missouri Lottery retailer. When he did, he joked:

The clerk took the ticket and scanned it, and the machine started making all sorts of noise! It was like a musical cacophony.

When he finally realized he had matched all of the numbers drawn, he was shocked. He said he's “never won something like that.”

A mother's inspiration

While some leftover change inspired that $1 million winner, another recent Missouri Lottery winner happened to be inspired by her late mother. The lucky winner from St. Robert won $50,000 playing the $1,000,000 Black Diamond scratch-off game.

How did her late mom inspire her? When claiming her prize at lottery headquarters, she told officials:

I'd never seen a ticket like that. It's the kind of ticket my mother would have chosen!

That helped her choose the $10 black and silver iridescent ticket. The shiny ticket paid off with a $50,000 win for her. She purchased the winning ticket at Road Ranger, located at 22345 Highway 28 in St. Robert.

According to Missouri Lottery officials, players have won more than $10.3 million in the $1,000,000 Black Diamond scratch-off game so far. However, there still remains over $21.8 million in unclaimed prizes, including two more $50,000 prizes and one more of the $1 million top prize.

Enjoy playing the Missouri Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.

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