A Missouri Lottery player in Independence who won a $100,000 top prize on a “$500 Frenzy” Scratchers ticket was one step away from losing his prize.

"Usually, I scratch the prize amount. I don't scratch the numbers," he explained, noting how he thought the prizes he saw listed would not end with a winning ticket.

Luckily, when he went back to uncover the numbers, he realized what he'd won.

"I was about to throw it away!" he laughed. "Then I said, 'Ok, let me check it.'"

He purchased the winning ticket at Discount Smokes & Liquor, 9935 E. Truman Road, in Independence. To date, “$500 Frenzy” players have won more than $4.8 million in prizes since the game was released Dec. 29. One additional $100,000 prize remains unclaimed.

In FY25, Jackson County players won more than $96.8 million in Missouri Lottery prizes, retailers received more than $8.9 million in commissions and bonuses, and more than $31.6 million in Lottery proceeds went to education programs in the county.