A Missouri Lottery player on his way to winning $77,000 on a “Hot 7s” Scratchers ticket decided to surprise his wife by letting her scratch the remainder of the winning ticket. 

The winner explained he had stopped at 87th Street Market, 9709 E. 87th St. in Raytown, to purchase some tickets before heading home. He recalled scratching the ticket and realizing he was on the verge of winning a large prize. That’s when he paused scratching and called his wife.
 
“I told her not to stop anywhere, and come straight home because I have a surprise for you,” he said.

When his wife arrived and finished scratching the ticket, both were ecstatic to find out how much they’d won. 

“I’ve won several times before, but not this much,” he said excitedly. 

“Hot 7s” is a $10 game with more than $14.9 million in unclaimed prizes. 

In FY21, players in Jackson County won more than $92.3 million in Missouri Lottery prizes, retailers received more than $9.3 million in commissions and bonuses, and more than $22.4 million in Lottery proceeds went to education programs in the county.