2021-07-30 08:52:51.237

Michael Drinkard normally buys the St. Joseph News-Press Weekender newspaper on Saturdays, but he got busy on July 17 and wasn’t able to get one. That change in routine inadvertently led to a $50,000 Scratchers prize.

Drinkard went to Bucky’s Express, 4215 S. Highway 169 in St. Joseph, the following day to purchase his newspaper and decided to get a Missouri Lottery Scratchers ticket while he was there.

“I bought the paper and said, ‘I’ll take one of those Scratchers,” Drinkard recalled.

He bought a “100X The Bucks” Scratchers ticket that revealed a $50,000 prize.

“I scratched the numbers and looked and said, ‘That can’t be right.’ So I read the instructions and scratched a little more. It was quite the day Sunday.”

Drinkard plans to use some of the winnings to cushion his and his wife’s retirement fund.

“Most people anticipate winning,” he added. “Sometimes the odds aren’t in your favor. I was just a fortunate person to draw a lucky Scratchers ticket.”

In FY20, players Buchanan County – where the winning ticket was sold – won more than $13.9 million in Missouri Lottery prizes, retailers received more than $1.4 million in commissions and bonuses, and more than $5.6 million in Lottery proceeds went to education programs in the county.