The Minnesota Man Who Won $34 Million Checked His Ticket Three Times, Then Pinched Himself

The player who won Minnesota’s record Lotto America jackpot has come forward, and his account of the moment he realized what he had is the most relatable part of the whole story. We covered the record $34.12 million win when the Minnesota Lottery announced it. Now the winner has spoken, and he is choosing to stay anonymous.

He said he has played for nearly 20 years, and he has a ritual: after he buys his tickets, his wife touches them for good luck. On the July 18 drawing, whatever the reason, it finally landed.

Three looks and a pinch

The realization happened at the store, when the terminal told him he needed to visit the lottery.

"When it said I had to go to the lottery, I looked up the numbers on my phone," he said. "When the winning numbers came up online, I looked at the numbers, then I looked at my ticket, then I did that about three times."

"After that, you might not believe me, but I actually pinched myself," he continued. "Then I looked around to see if anyone was watching me."

Anyone who has ever had a decent hit will recognize that sequence. The checking, the re-checking, and the sudden awareness of everyone else in the store.

What the prize is actually worth

The jackpot is valued at $34.12 million as an annuity or $15.15 million as a cash option, and it is the largest Lotto America prize ever won in Minnesota. It is also the first time the Lotto America jackpot has been hit at all this year, which is part of why it climbed so high.

For a game that costs $1 a play, with an optional $1 All-Star Bonus add-on that boosts the non-jackpot prizes, that is a remarkable return on a ticket. Which payout he takes is his call, and it is the single biggest financial decision a winner makes. We lay out the trade-off in lump sum vs. annuity.

He is doing it right

His plans are worth noting, because they are close to textbook. He intends to pay off some debts, including his daughter’s student loans, and then sit down with a financial professional to figure out where the rest should go. Getting professional advice before making big moves is the step most sudden-wealth stories skip, and it is the one that tends to separate the winners who keep it from the ones who do not. It is the same advice we give in what to do first if you win a big lottery prize.

His decision to stay out of the spotlight is its own kind of planning. Whether that is even an option depends entirely on where you play, which we break down in can you stay anonymous if you win.

If you play in the state, current Minnesota scratch-offs, with odds and top prizes still unclaimed, are on our Minnesota page.

Sources

Bring Me The News: Lottery winner speaks out after $34M jackpot win