ROSEVILLE, Minn. — The winner of a winning Lotto America ticket sold in Minnesota has stepped forward.
Minnesota Lottery officials say the Minneapolis man won $2 playing the lottery game during a recent trip to Cub Foods in Roseville. He decided to invest his meager winnings in two more tickets, one of which would match the numbers and star ball from Monday's drawing.
The jackpot total was $3.73 million, which earned the winner $1.78 million as he chose the cash option.
“I was in disbelief,” the man recalled after checking his ticket on mnlottery.com Tuesday morning. “I double-checked the numbers, and then I texted my friends and said, "Call me.""
“I told them not to tell anybody, but you know how that goes,” the winner said with a laugh as he presented his winning ticket for payment at lottery headquarters in Roseville on March 5. He came back the next day to select the $1.78 million cash option and officially claimed the prize.
The man, who is choosing to remain anonymous, said he’s looking forward to paying off his mortgage and being debt-free. “I will probably buy a new car, too,” he said.
It was only the third time in Lotto America history that a ticket sold in Minnesota has hit the jackpot. Minnesota's first Lotto America jackpot was on March 14, 2018, with the $22.8 million winning ticket purchased at a Holiday Station Store in Roseau. The second, worth $21.6 million, was sold at Holiday Station Store #395 in Ramsey on July 10, 2019.
Retailers that sell a winning ticket collect a $10,000 bonus.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
