Show-Me State Times

A Missouri Lottery player from Scott County unknowingly gifted her husband a $50,000 winning ticket. The ticket, part of the "$5,000,000 Fortune" Scratchers game, was purchased at Phillips 66 on Crites Street in Scott City. In a rush, she did not check the number of the ticket as she usually does.

"Prior to winning this, there were certain numbers I wouldn’t buy because I considered them unlucky, and 23 was one of those," she explained. Upon discovering that one of the tickets was numbered 23, she decided to give it to her husband. "So I just decided to give it to my husband," she said. "I scratched off the first ticket and won nothing and he scratched off his and won $50,000!"

The couple was thrilled with their unexpected windfall. Reflecting on the experience, the wife shared a newfound perspective: "What I’ve learned is that there is no unlucky number! I’ll never ask about what the numbers are because it doesn’t matter!"

The "$5,000,000 Fortune" game has awarded over $83 million in prizes so far. There remain more than $169.5 million in unclaimed prizes, including two top prizes of $5 million each.

In fiscal year 2024 (FY24), players in Scott County won more than $10.6 million in Missouri Lottery prizes. Retailers received over $1 million in commissions and bonuses while more than $4.4 million from lottery proceeds supported education programs within the county.