Cashier goes white after scanning man’s Pac-Man lottery ticket. ‘Still processing’
A Minnesota man and self-proclaimed “child of the ‘80s“ said he couldn’t resist a Pac-Man-themed lottery game.
His nostalgia paid off with a $50,000 win, according to a Feb. 14 news release from Iowa lottery officials.
Dustin Reese of Owatonna, Minnesota, said he and two coworkers were on their way home from a work trip in Kansas City when they stopped for gas in Iowa, according to the release.
While looking at the lottery display, he spotted a familiar character.
“Pac-Man, that’s cool!” Reese said to the attendant, according to lottery officials .“Why don’t you give me a couple of those things?’”
Reese scratched his $5 tickets on the road and realized he’d won big, lottery officials said.
After stopping at a different Kum & Go gas station to confirm the winning ticket, “the kid behind the counter scanned it, turned beat white and called his manager over,” Reese told lottery officials.
“It’s still processing,” he said. “It’s just sheer luck.”
The winner said he plans to use his prize to remodel his kitchen and put the rest toward his kids’ college funds, according to the release.
The winning ticket was purchased at a Kum & Go in New Virginia.
New Virginia is about a 40-mile drive south from Des Moines.
This story was originally published February 14, 2025 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Cashier goes white after scanning man’s Pac-Man lottery ticket. ‘Still processing’."
