Man’s low blood sugar leads him to buy a soda — and a winning Missouri lottery ticket

With his blood sugar low, a Missouri man stopped at a convenience store to buy a soda.

He left with something much more than a fizzy beverage.

As he purchased the drink at Smoker’s Friendly in St. James, he said he also “randomly” bought a 777 Jackpot scratch-off ticket, according to Missouri Lottery officials.

The game, which costs $10 to play, offers two jackpot prizes of $777,777 and five $77,777 prizes.

The lottery player said he couldn’t believe his eyes when his $77,777 prize was uncovered.

“I was just in disbelief,” he told lottery officials, according to a March 31 news release.

He and his wife plan to use his winnings toward building a new house, the winner said.

“This will really help with that!” he said.

St. James is about a 95-mile drive southwest from St. Louis.

This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Man’s low blood sugar leads him to buy a soda — and a winning Missouri lottery ticket."