Mom’s dreams of winning lottery become real when she sees Missouri ticket lying around

A woman’s discussion of what she would do if she won the lottery came to fruition — thanks to a lucky ticket found lying around.

The woman, from St. Charles County, Missouri, recently spoke with co-workers about their aspirations should one of them win big in the lottery. At the time of the Dec. 26 Mega Millions drawing, the jackpot had ballooned to an estimated $73 million.

Just a few days later, she and her daughter uncovered a Mega Millions ticket lying around her home, according to a Jan. 31 Missouri Lottery news release. It was purchased at a QuikTrip in St. Peters.

They quickly realized it matched all five white ball numbers — 8, 10, 22, 58 and 64. It only missed the Mega Ball number 21, giving her a $1 million win.

“I was holding the ticket in my hand, and she was naming off the numbers. I got the first number right, the second number right. I got all the numbers right but the Mega Ball,” the winner told lottery officials. “We were talking and crying and couldn’t sleep.”

The mother is using her money to purchase new vehicles for her daughters and her father, as well as fund home improvement projects.

Odds of winning the $1 million Mega Millions prize are 1-in-12,607,306. Hitting the jackpot is more difficult at 1-in-302,575,350 odds.

St. Peters is a northwest suburb of St. Louis.

This story was originally published February 1, 2024 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Mom’s dreams of winning lottery become real when she sees Missouri ticket lying around."