Missouri Woman Wins $111,000 After Finding Month-Old Lottery Ticket

A Missouri woman got the surprise of a lifetime when she reached between her car seats and discovered a forgotten lottery ticket that had been sitting there for a month.

The St. Louis County resident realized it was a Show Me Cash ticket from the Aug. 20 drawing. When she took it to a store to check the numbers, she couldn’t believe the news: she had just won $111,000.

"The clerk tells me I won $111,000!" she told lottery officials. "I told him to stop playing!"

Turns out the clerk wasn’t joking. By matching all five numbers—2, 7, 15, 31, and 36—she hit the jackpot. The odds of winning Show Me Cash’s top prize are about 1 in 575,757.

"This was such a shock. I hardly ever play, except around the holidays," she admitted. "But for some reason, I decided to play that day."

Show Me Cash is a daily $1 game, and the jackpot grows every day until someone wins. As of Sept. 23, the prize stands at $61,000.

While most people can enjoy games of chance responsibly, gambling can become a serious problem for some. If you or someone you love struggles with gambling, help is available. Call the National Gambling Hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visit the National Council on Problem Gambling for support.