National

Kids think mom is joking when she shares Missouri lottery news. ‘No, not this time’

A Missouri mom’s children thought she was joking when she shared her lottery win.
A Missouri mom’s children thought she was joking when she shared her lottery win. Photo by Missouri lottery

This Missouri mom says she is known to joke around, which explains why her children didn’t believe her lottery news at first.

The woman from Manchester bought a $20 ticket, rather than her usual $5 ticket, because it was payday, according to a July 22 news release from the Missouri Lottery.

She ritualistically scratched it off “top to bottom,” she said. As she got to the second-to-last number, she saw the winning symbol. She had won $100,000, lottery officials said.

Elated by the win, she shared the news with her children, but they thought she was playing a prank.

“They thought I was jazzing. Like, ‘Mom, you’re playing with us!’” she told officials. “I told them, ‘No, not this time. For real.’”

The woman purchased the ticket at a convenience store in Manchester, about a 20-mile drive west of 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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This story was originally published July 22, 2024 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Kids think mom is joking when she shares Missouri lottery news. ‘No, not this time’."

Kate Linderman
mcclatchy-newsroom
Kate Linderman covers national news for McClatchy’s real-time team. She reports on politics and crime and courts news in the Midwest. Kate is a 2023 graduate of DePaul University and is based in Chicago.
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