2021-08-03 16:11:41.897

A Buchanan County Scratchers player has claimed a $10 million top prize on a Missouri Lottery “$300 Million Cash Explosion®” ticket. As luck would have it, it was also the first time the winner had played that particular game.

“I just randomly picked one,” she said when asked why that $30 ticket was the one she decided to purchase at Trex Mart, 3625 King Hill Ave., in St. Joseph.

While picking the game was easy, it took a bit to fully understand just how much the ticket was actually worth.

“I thought it said $10,000, not $10 million, so I Googled it to make sure,” she shared.

Then there was a moment when the shock led her to think it had to be fake.

“So I just stood there and stood there,” she laughed.

In the end, the $10 million winner downloaded the Missouri Lottery mobile app, scanned her ticket to check again, and then made her way to the Lottery’s Kansas City regional office to claim her prize.

“$300 Million Cash Explosion®” has more than $114 million in unclaimed prizes, including another top prize of $10 million, four $1 million prizes and seven $50,000 prizes.

In FY20, players in Buchanan County won more than $13.9 million dollars in Missouri Lottery prizes. During that same time, local businesses earned more than $1.4 million in Lottery commissions, and more than $5.6 million in Missouri Lottery proceeds were spent on education programs in the county – spanning local elementary and secondary schools, as well as the technical school and university.