Man Wins $500K Lottery Prize — Then Runs Back into Store When He Realizes He Walked Out Without the Ticket!

It wasn't until after Kevin Frey texted his adult son about his win that he realized the ticket was still inside the store, Iowa Lottery officials said

An Iowa pastor won $500,000 from a scratch game, but amid the elation, he forgot the winning ticket inside a general store.

"I was so excited and flustered that I left the ticket inside of the Casey's store and went out to the car and started calling everybody," Kevin Frey told Iowa Lottery officials.

The 64-year-old bought the ticket and ended up claiming the eighth of 14 top prizes in the "$500,000 Ca$h" scratch game. The $50 game features prizes ranging from $50 up to $500,000, with the overall odds of winning of 1 in 3.09.

Related: Man Finds Forgotten Lottery Ticket from Last Year in His Glove Compartment — and Learns He Won a Truck!

However, it wasn't until after the New Hampton man texted his adult son about his win that he realized the ticket was still at the store, lottery officials noted.

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"I ran back inside and asked the employee for the ticket," Frey said. "She was so flustered, she forgot to give it to me the first time. So, we finally got it on the right page."

Related: Iowa Lottery Mistakenly Posts Wrong Numbers — But 'Winners' Who Already Cashed in Can Keep Money!

Frey, who claimed his win on Tuesday, is now hoping to move to the Des Moines area when he and his wife retire to be closer to family. He also plans to use the money for long-term plans and investments, he told lottery officials.

"This is going to help a lot," he added. "This is exciting in that way, too," he said. "It will be fun to be able to share some of it with some of our family and some of the charities that we support and have supported for a long time."

Related: Woman Wins $25,000 a Year for Life on First Try of Lottery Game: 'It’s Enough Money to Change My World'

Even after all that excitement, Frey managed to lead church service on Sunday.

"They told me I did a nice job on the sermon, so I said, 'Well, I guess there was something at work in the middle of all that,'" he quipped.

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