Ticket-printing mistake turns into good fortune for $1 million lottery winner in Iowa

A mistake by a gas station clerk paid off in a big way for an Iowa man, who won $1 million in the Mega Millions lottery game.

Josh Buster, of West Burlington, said he asked the clerk at MK Mini Mart for five easy-pick plays on Friday, April 15. But the clerk accidentally only printed one play, according to the Iowa Lottery.

The clerk asked Buster “if he could print four more plays for him on another ticket,” lottery officials said. By doing so, he became $1 million richer.

“Josh said he thinks that having two tickets changed the numbers he would have received if all the plays had been printed at once,” the Iowa Lottery said. “Whatever the reason, he’s thankful for the win, saying it will take away a lot of the stress in his life.”

When the lottery app showed his ticket was a $1 million winner, Buster felt compelled to Google the winning numbers to verify he won the prize.

“Then he spent the rest of the day feeling like he was waiting to wake up from a dream,” lottery officials said.

Buster is a 40-year-old prep chef at an area restaurant, who plans to use his winnings to pay off his car and the mortgage on his mother’s home.

West Burlington is near the Illinois state border and about 165 miles from Des Moines, Iowa.

This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 11:18 AM with the headline "Ticket-printing mistake turns into good fortune for $1 million lottery winner in Iowa."