A long-time lottery player in Missouri surprised his wife with a scratch-off ticket that was a $100,000 winner.
The husband, whose name was not released by the Missouri Lottery, picked up a "$100 Million Cash Bonanza" ticket in Ballwin, a suburb of St. Louis. The game costs $20 to play.
"I’ve been playing that ticket for a while. I really like them," the lucky customer told Missouri Lottery officials.
"I usually take the tickets home to my wife and let her scratch them, but I decided to check it first before I left," he added.
The scratch-off ticket (not pictured) was a $100,000 winner and the husband scanned the barcode before bringing it home to his wife. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis / AP Newsroom)
When he realized it was a winning ticket, the husband had a mischievous idea.
"I decided to trick my wife," he explained. "I left it unscratched and left it for her."
"She scratched it off and about broke my neck, grabbing my neck and screaming so hard!"
The lucky customer realized his ticket was a $100,000 winner after he scanned the barcode. He left the rest of the game unscratched, took it home to his wife and allowed her to reveal the big prize. (iStock / iStock)
The Missouri Lottery says that its lottery participants have won nearly $80 million by playing the "$100 Million Cash Bonanza" game.
The game has more than $32.7 million in unclaimed prizes. Seven additional $100,000 prizes remain, along with two top prizes of $4 million.
If lottery players bring a ticket to scan where it was purchased, the seller will reveal if it's a winner – whether the game is scratched off or not. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images / Getty Images)
"In FY23, players in St. Louis County won more than $207.7 million in Missouri Lottery prizes, retailers received more than $20 million in commissions and bonuses, and more than $76 million in Lottery proceeds went to education programs in the county," the Missouri Lottery explained in its press release.