$1 Million Scratchers Winner Accidentally Wakes Dog with Celebration

A Missouri Lottery player in Taney County couldn’t contain his excitement after realizing he’d won a $1 million prize on a “Millionaire Blowout” Scratchers ticket he’d purchased at Gateway to Branson, 4914 Highway 65, in Walnut Shade.

“I was sitting at home not doing nothing,” he recalled. “I’d bought two tickets, and the first one I scratched I won a million dollars on! I had to yell after I added up what it came to.

“My dog was laying on the floor and I said … Well, I won’t tell you what I said,” he laughed. “But she jumped up and ran over to me like, ‘What’s wrong?’”

He shared plans to use some of his winnings to donate to local schools and to get a new boat.

“I sold my boat last year. Ever since then, I’ve thought ‘Man, this would be a perfect day to be on a boat!” 

In FY23, players in Taney County won more than $11.3 million in Missouri Lottery prizes, retailers received more than $1.1 million in commissions and bonuses, and more than $1.7 million in Lottery proceeds went to education programs in the county.