Winning Missouri lottery ticket sold in Callaway County

The logo of the Missouri Lottery appears on a promotional display temporarily erected near the state Capitol in this June 24, 2014 file photo.
The logo of the Missouri Lottery appears on a promotional display temporarily erected near the state Capitol in this June 24, 2014 file photo.

A Callaway County hunter's trip to purchase a deer tag instead resulted in a $100,000 win in the Missouri Lottery's "Big Riches" Scratchers game.

According to a news release, the player said he purchased the ticket while at Walmart on North Bluff Street in Fulton, because he assumed there might be a line for purchasing deer tags, and he planned to scratch the ticket while waiting.

He began scratching his numbers on the ticket without revealing the prizes and immediately noticed he won on the first two numbers. Continuing to scratch the ticket, he soon realized he had won big. Rather than purchasing his deer tag as planned, he went home to add up his prize, which added up to $100,000.

The player had uncovered the first of four $100,000 prizes available in "Big Riches." The $30 ticket offers more than $119.7 million in unclaimed prizes, including three of four top prizes of $3 million. The first top prize claimed in the game was purchased in Potosi.

In the last fiscal year, Missouri Lottery players in Callaway County won more than $8.4 million in total prizes. Retailers in the county received more than $825,000 in commissions and bonuses, and an additional $799,000 in lottery proceeds supported educational programs in the county.