Missouri Man Tells Wife 'I Don’t Want You to Wreck Your Car' After He Wins $2 Million on Scratch-Off
The winning ticket was purchased at a convenience store in the tiny town of Malden, lottery officials said
A Missouri man recently won $2 million on a scratch-off ticket, but his happiness was tempered by concern over how his wife would react to the news.
“He called me at work and said, ‘I don’t want you to wreck your car, but I think I won $2 million,’ ” the lottery winner’s wife told Missouri lottery officials, per a Jan. 11 news release.
The man, who purchased a “Super Cash Bonanza” scratcher at a convenience store in the southeastern Missouri city of Malden, said the game is part of his routine — the outcome, not so much.
Related: $1M Scratch-Off Lottery Winner Retires Immediately: 'I Don’t Have to Wait!'
“I play that ticket all the time,” the man said, per the official Missouri lottery website.
The Dunklin County couple are now reveling in their surprise windfall, with the winner’s wife telling lottery officials she was actually at work when she got the good news.
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“I just said, ‘Get out of here!’ ” she shared.
While it’s unclear whether the Missouri winners will quit their jobs, a Chicago man who won $1 million in a scratch-off game in November did just that.
The 68-year-old industrial mechanic purchased the winning $10 ticket at Harlem Food and Liquors in Harwood Heights, according to Illinois lottery officials.
The man, whom lottery officials call “Mr. M,” said he “had a good gut feeling” about the ticket as soon as he saw it.
“I chose to take a chance and buy it, and boy, am I glad I did,” he added.
Immediately after his big win, Mr. M decided to retire, lottery officials shared.
“I was going to retire next year - but now I don’t have to wait!” he said. “It’s time I focus on what really matters — my family.”
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