Man buys $50 lottery ticket on his way to work — and it wins big. ‘Wait a minute’

A Missouri man didn’t get the day off work he may have wanted, but his unexpected shift led to a life-changing lottery win .

On his way to work after getting called in, the man stopped at a Casey’s convenience store in Perryville to purchase gas — and a 500X scratch-off lottery ticket.

The ticket sat on his desk for awhile until he came back to scratch it. Then, he learned he was a $1 million winner.

He said he called his wife to verify the life-changing win.

“Once I saw it, I was just like, ‘Wait a minute!’” his wife said, according to an Oct. 15 Missouri Lottery news release.

The 500X scratch-off game costs $50 to play and offers three top prizes of $5 million.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he told lottery officials. “Until I got to the (lottery) office, I wasn’t even sure if it was real!”

Perryville is about an 80-mile drive southeast from St. Louis.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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