2021-09-01 14:59:34.093

A Greene County resident purchased four Scratchers tickets after stopping at Kum & Go, 1704 W. Norton Road in Springfield, and later scratched them at home with her husband.

“The first three weren’t winners and, as I was scratching off the last one, he goes, ‘Don’t cry if it isn’t a winner,’” the winner recalled.  

Her winning ticket was a Missouri Lottery “Black Pearls” Scratchers ticket, which features multipliers that can increase wins by up to five times. When she uncovered the 5X multiplier, her husband teased that she would win $25, thinking her base prize would be $5.

“But then I kept scratching, and it was $20,000! So, I had won $100,000!” she laughed.  “It’s just a dream come true! I just feel like this is a blessing.”

“Black Pearls” is a $5 game with over $6.4 million in unclaimed prizes, including two additional top prizes of $100,000 and two $20,000 prizes.

In FY20, players in Greene County won more than $45.3 million in Missouri Lottery prizes, retailers received more than $4.3 million in commissions and bonuses, and more than $22.4 million in Lottery proceeds went to education programs in the county.

All Missouri Lottery offices are open – by appointment only – for claims of $600 or more. Winning tickets may also be claimed by mail.