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Coffee Stop Leaves Camdenton Man's Cup Overflowing with Cash
Not only will a Camdenton couple benefit from winning $250,000 on a Missouri Lottery Mega Millions ticket, but so will their family and friends. Timothy Hall used Quick Pick to match all five white-ball numbers drawn on Oct. 29, earning the 59-year-old a quarter of a million dollar payday.

"My truck was getting worked on, so I stopped to get a cup of coffee," Hall explained, referring to a trip to Signal Food Store, 134 E. Highway 54, in Camdenton. "I bought some other Lottery tickets while I was there, and the girl working said, 'We sold a big one last week. Make sure you check your tickets, if you haven't.'"

The reminder promoted Hall to scan his Mega Millions tickets from the early-October drawing.

"I went and got them (tickets), and went back to the store and checked it out," he continued. "The $250,000 flashed up on the screen. It was a happy day!"

Hall immediately called his wife, Shannon, who he teased, "was too busy saving lives that day" as an emergency room nurse to meet him at the store.

"She couldn't get off work, so I had to wait until she got home at 7:30 p.m. to really celebrate," he recalled.

While claiming the prize at Lottery headquarters in Jefferson City, the Halls admitted that the "best part" about the win is how the windfall will help their four children.

"It (win) means we can give some money to our kids," Timothy said, noting the prize will help their family with home expenses and college tuition bills. "We (Timothy and Shannon) really don't need anything."

The Halls plan to "have some fun," too.

"We're going to rent a party bus and take all of our friends out to dinner and have a party," Timothy beamed. "That's the most fun about this – being able to share it. It's not for what we get, but for what we get to give."

When asked if he'd ever won a Missouri Lottery prize before, Timothy declared, "I won Shannon! That's the biggest prize I've won!"

Timothy summed up the entire experience with some advice for other players: "Play the game," he started. "You never know what's going to happen."

$189 Million Mega Millions Jackpot Winner Steps Forward
Maryland's mystery winner of the $189 million Mega Millions jackpot is a mystery no more.

The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, hid his ticket in an unplugged lamp for over a week until driving through pouring rain Friday to claim his prize at Lottery headquarters on Friday. With a dozen excited family members surrounding him, the Anne Arundel County man won the second largest jackpot in Maryland's history.

"We are blessed," he said, accepting the win on behalf of his "Lucky Family," as the group dubbed themselves for publicity photos.

Our lucky winner dreamed of his relatives saying the winning numbers the night before he bought 10 Mega Millions tickets at his favorite Lottery retailer. He often stops there for gas and to play Lottery games. He played different combinations of the numbers in his dream along with his birth month, date and year.

"It's like they were talking to me about the numbers in the dream," he said. Before picking the numbers in the store, he asked for heavenly guidance. "I prayed, 'Lord, if you want this money to belong to me, guide my hand,' " the man said.

The morning after the Oct. 1 drawing, a relative called him at work and told him their favorite store sold the winning ticket. After asking for the jackpot numbers, our winner remembers saying on the phone, "Wow! I got all of those numbers on one line." He then began weeping with joy. "I cried and I cried," he said. "Since the economy went down, our life has been tough."

The man initially hid the ticket under a water jug where he and his wife put their spare change but settled on hiding the ticket in a light bulb socket after removing one of two bulbs and unplugging the lamp.

Our winner selected the cash option and will take home $86 million after state and federal taxes. He is setting up a charity and sharing the money with his large extended family. Many family members said they will pay off their mortgages but have no other plans for the money yet.

"Everyone's a winner when the jackpot comes home to Maryland," said Carole Everett, director of communications for the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency. "The jackpot winner, the retailer who sold the winning ticket and the people of the state of Maryland all benefit from the win."

Our winner found his fortune at Dash In, located at 7845 Quarterfield Road in Severn. The retailer will earn a $100,000 commission for selling the ticket and the state of Maryland will receive more than $11.3 million in tax revenue.

Kansas Resident Takes Chance in Missouri, Scores $40,000 Prize
Fahra Noorani's decision to spend an extra $1 for the Megaplier feature on her Mega Millions ticket paid off. The 25-year-old Overland Park, Kan., resident turned what would've been a $10,000 prize into a $40,000 payday by matching four white-ball numbers and the Mega Ball on Sept. 13. That feat would normally yield a $10,000 prize, but since she elected to add the Megaplier feature, the prize was multiplied by the Megaplier number drawn.

Noorani bought her Quick Pick ticket at QuikTrip, 6015 E. 147th St., in Grandview. The winning numbers were: 9, 22, 28, 48 and 54. The Mega Ball was 8, and the Megaplier was 4.

New Mexico Woman Wins $10,000 Mega Millions Prize
Patty Rivera of Truth or Consequences won $10,000 in the Oct. 1 Mega Millions drawing.

When she claimed her prize Friday at New Mexico Lottery headquarters in Albuquerque, Rivera said she "almost cried" after discovering her good fortune.

Playing numbers she selected, Rivera matched the four white balls of 7, 10, 30 and 53 and the yellow Mega Ball of 1. The winner bought her lucky ticket at Bullocks, Inc. located at 630 Broadway in Truth or Consequences.

Rivera said she plans to use her prize to pay off a car loan.

Kentucky Co-Workers win $40,000
This group of coworkers recently collected a $40,000 Mega Millions with Megaplier prize from the August 13th drawing. Each person walked out with a check for about $2,123 after taxes. The ticket was purchased at the Next Door Convenience Food Mart on Newburg Road in Louisville.

Third Times A Charm for This New Jersey Lottery Mega Millions Winner
Playing New Jersey Lottery games are all about having some fun and making the "million dollar winner" dream a reality. Our player, Steven Ontell, did just that when he claimed his $1 million prize at Headquarters last Friday. Accompanied by his long-time retailer and now friend, Bharat Shah, from the Marina Sweet Shop, 202 Washington Place, Passaic in Passaic County, he came to Lottery Headquarters to claim his latest New Jersey Lottery winnings. Yes, latest. This is the third time that Ontell has won a significant prize playing New Jersey Lottery games.

Ontell's first win was in May 2009 when he won the $250,000 Mega Millions third prize. Learning the importance of prize multiplication from playing Mega Millions, Ontell began adding the multiplier option to his game bets. When he played Powerball with Powerplay on November 2, 2011, his $10,000 third prize became a $40,000 win. His latest win was on September 6 when he again matched five numbers for the Mega Millions draw but this time he played with the Megaplier Option. Ontell's $250,000 win became $1 million using Megaplier! Ontell was ever so close to winning the $95 million jackpot – he was just one number away on the Mega Ball. He had Mega Ball number 30 and the jackpot winning number was 31. Maybe next time.

Ontell retired from the police force after serving his community as an officer for 30 years. Ontell had six badge numbers during his career and those numbers became his regular lottery play numbers. "They were all lucky for me," he said. In addition, Ontell plays five Quick Pick selections for the drawings. The current Mega Millions win was a Quick Pick.

When asked what he will do with his winnings, Ontell responded, "I will invest it with the broker who has helped me with all of my winnings." Then he will consider where he might like to take a vacation. In the meanwhile, Ontell keeps on playing New Jersey Lottery games every day. We hope to see him back in the Clover Room once again – perhaps for a jackpot prize.

Charlotte man's $250,000 win means long-overdue family trip
Jorge Polanco, a maintenance worker from Charlotte, NC said that winning $250,000 playing Mega Millions means he can take his wife and three kids on a trip to Nicaragua. Though his family has called Charlotte home for 14 years, Polanco and his wife have not been back to the country they are originally from for 23 years.

Polanco beat odds of 1 in 3.9 million to match all five white balls, but not the gold Mega Ball, in Friday's drawing. On Saturday afternoon, he logged onto the lottery's website for the results and discovered he had won $250,000. Polanco let the computer pick the numbers on the winning ticket he purchased at the Kangaroo Express on Randolph Road in Charlotte. After required state and federal withholdings, the prize was worth $170,000.

Polanco said he always has a ticket for the twice-weekly Mega Millions drawings.

$80 million July Mega jackpot claimed!
It took a few weeks for Dick Zelasko to realize he was a millionaire.

Michigan's latest Mega Millions jackpot winner shows off his winning ticket.

Zelasko, of Troy, claimed the $80 million Mega Millions jackpot from the July 5 drawing at Lottery headquarters in Lansing on Friday. The jackpot had originally been advertised at $79 million but was increased as a result of strong sales.

Zelasko said he purchased the easy pick ticket and put it in his wallet. When he checked the ticket at a Lottery self-scanner, the message screen advised him to contact the Lottery. Not necessarily thinking the ticket was a big winner, Zelasko "stuffed it back in his wallet." He even took a vacation and a few golfing trips, all with the $80 million ticket in his wallet.

"That would have been a terrible time to lose your wallet," he laughed.

Zelasko saw a story about a person claiming to be the July 5 winner in his local paper and commented to friends and coworkers that he buys his tickets at the same retailer, John's Market, located at 75 E. Square Lake Rd. in Troy.

He continued to occasionally scan the ticket and after repeatedly getting the same message, then Zelasko went online to check the numbers. That was August 13.

"I thought someone was playing a joke on me," he said. "We paced and paced all night."

Zelasko, who also enjoys playing roulette at the casino, said he's played the Lottery for years and prefers Mega Millions and Powerball. His largest previous prize was $10 or $20. And despite the big win, Zelasko said he will "absolutely" continue to play the Lottery.

"You go with the streak, not against it!" he said.

"For the most part, it is entertainment," Zelasko said. "But sometimes you just get that gut feeling. I'd see the billboard and put myself in the mindset of "what would you do?""

Zelasko is contemplating purchasing a new home as well as a car and said the new-found wealth will allow him "to just take care of family and enjoy the peace of mind" the prize brings. "That really is the biggest reward."

John's Market, a Michigan Lottery retailer since 1986, will receive a $50,000 bonus commission.

Lottery Winner Scores 'Mega' $250,000 Payday
A St. Louis, Missouri man is a quarter-of-a-million dollars richer after collecting a second-tier Mega Millions prize from the Missouri Lottery. Douglas Trester, a 45-year-old steel worker, said he was "excited but nervous" when he checked his ticket at Dirt Cheap Cigarettes and Beer, 4359 Telegraph Road in Oakville, for the Mega Millions drawing on Aug. 20.

"I put the card in the scanner, and it popped up that I won," Trester recalled. "It was kind of surprising."

After the initial "35 to 40 seconds" of shock subsided, the first-time Lottery winner shared the news with his family.

"I went out to see my folks," he added. "They were pretty excited."

Trester explained that although he didn't use Quick Pick to select the winning five white-ball numbers drawn last month, he does partially credit Quick Pick for the win.

"I used to get Quick Picks, but I got tired of doing Quick Picks," he explained. "So, I just started using the numbers from the last Quick Pick I ever did. I wrote them down on a card and kept using those."

It was the Quick Pick combination he received months ago – 13, 28, 35, 38, 41 – and kept using that made him a winner.

After his recent win, he declared those numbers would be retiring. However, his method will press on.

"I'll change up that line, but I'll play other ones," he noted.

As for plans for the windfall, other than purchasing a new cell phone, he is still figuring that out.

"It's pretty exciting," he concluded.