Couple wins $800,000 Missouri scratch-off lottery jackpot

Apr 28, 2006, 7:15 am (10 comments)

Missouri Lottery

Scott and Candace Pritchett of Houston, Texas, have won $800,000 in the new Missouri Lottery Lifetime Riches scratch-off game.

They opted for a lump sum payment instead of $50,000 a year for life.

Gary Gonder, director of the commission for the Missouri Lottery, said most people chose the lump sum.

"They can fulfill their dreams today, and manage their own investments," Gonder said.

Scott Pritchett bought the winning ticket when he stopped for gas at Kum & Go, 5384 S. Campbell Ave., on April 22, the day this new lottery game was officially launched.

The Pritchetts were in town visiting family.

The couple says the money will make their lives less stressful.

"We're probably going to buy a new car," said Scott Pritchett when he claimed their prize April 24, the couple's second wedding anniversary. "We came up (to Springfield) Saturday actually to look around at new cars. We were going to buy another car so she could have a new car, and I could have her car."

Candy Pritchett, 35, works in the business office at St. John's Hospital.

Since the couple lives in Houston, and she works in Springfield, Candy stays at her mother's house during the week and drives home on the weekends.

She plans to quit her job and end her long commute.

Scott, 37, who has worked in base maintenance at Fort Leonard Wood for 18 years, plans to continue working.

The new "Lifetime Riches" game, which officially started April 22, has the highest payout in the Lottery's history and offers more than $100 million in cash prizes, including 10 top prizes of $50,000 a year for life. More than 75.62 percent of the $10 game's sales will be returned to players as prizes.

To date, 213 Missouri Lottery tickets worth $1 million or more have been sold in the Lottery's 20 years of sales. Of those winning tickets, 10 were from Scratchers games, one which was from the "Lifetime Riches" game. There are still nine top prizes of $50,000 a year for life left in the game.

Springfield News-Leader and Lottery Post Staff

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CASH Only

Wake up, NY Lottery! We need cash options in OUR scratch games too!

qutgnt

75% payout is very respectable for a ten dollar game.

bellyache's avatarbellyache

Good for them. $800,000 would be nice to win. =)

justxploring's avatarjustxploring

When the tickets say "for life" they don't usually pay for an unlimited amount of years. A couple just won a scratch-off game in Lehigh (near me) and $5,000 a month for the rest of my life sounded nice, but then I read the fine print which reads "for up to 20 years" So whose life are they talking about?

BTW, so CashOnly doesn't have a fit here, FL does offer a lump sum and they took the $765,000 cash option.

hockeyguy858

When the tickets say "for life" they don't usually pay for an unlimited amount of years. A couple just won a scratch-off game in Lehigh (near me) and $5,000 a month for the rest of my life sounded nice, but then I read the fine print which reads "for up to 20 years" So whose life are they talking about?

BTW, so CashOnly doesn't have a fit here, FL does offer a lump sum and they took the $765,000 cash option.

the 20 is the minimum payout on the annuity. lets say Joe Blow wins that, if he dies in the 11th year, his estate gets the remaining years left up to 20 paid out (so 9 years)...but if joe blow lives longer than 20, when he dies the payments stop...correct me anybody here if im wrong

justxploring's avatarjustxploring

When the tickets say "for life" they don't usually pay for an unlimited amount of years. A couple just won a scratch-off game in Lehigh (near me) and $5,000 a month for the rest of my life sounded nice, but then I read the fine print which reads "for up to 20 years" So whose life are they talking about?

BTW, so CashOnly doesn't have a fit here, FL does offer a lump sum and they took the $765,000 cash option.

the 20 is the minimum payout on the annuity. lets say Joe Blow wins that, if he dies in the 11th year, his estate gets the remaining years left up to 20 paid out (so 9 years)...but if joe blow lives longer than 20, when he dies the payments stop...correct me anybody here if im wrong

Yes, I completely agree with you, hockeyguy. Having studied insurance a few years back (and got licensed) I understand many of the different annuity options a person has when he decides to start taking payments. Sometimes the payments are for life and sometimes they are for certain periods like 5, 10, 15 or 20 years. There are also options for leaving money to beneficiaries (which lowers the monthly payment) usually up to 20 years. I always assumed the annuity option for a State Lottery was just like you wrote - a lifetime payment with 20 years guaranteed in case the winner dies. But when I read the press release I mentioned, it didn't state it that way. Maybe it just wasn't clear so I reacted to what I thought was an accurate statement. See the quote from the press release below. 

TALLAHASSEE--The Florida Lottery announced today SET FOR LIFE Scratch-Off game winner Donna Nix, accompanied by her husband Joe, of Lehigh Acres, accepted the top prize at Florida Lottery Headquarters today.

Nix, 45, took the cash option and received a check for $765,973.20. If she had chosen the annual option, Nix would have received $5,000 a month for 20 years. She purchased her winning Scratch-Off ticket Monday, April 24, at the Shell Station on Colonial Blvd.

Edit:  Here is a description of the game "SET FOR LIFE" from the Florida Lottery.

 Match any of YOUR NUMBERS to any of the WINNING NUMBERS, win prize shown for that number. If prize won is "LIFE", win $5,000 a month for 20 years.

 

 

hockeyguy858

When the tickets say "for life" they don't usually pay for an unlimited amount of years. A couple just won a scratch-off game in Lehigh (near me) and $5,000 a month for the rest of my life sounded nice, but then I read the fine print which reads "for up to 20 years" So whose life are they talking about?

BTW, so CashOnly doesn't have a fit here, FL does offer a lump sum and they took the $765,000 cash option.

the 20 is the minimum payout on the annuity. lets say Joe Blow wins that, if he dies in the 11th year, his estate gets the remaining years left up to 20 paid out (so 9 years)...but if joe blow lives longer than 20, when he dies the payments stop...correct me anybody here if im wrong

Yes, I completely agree with you, hockeyguy. Having studied insurance a few years back (and got licensed) I understand many of the different annuity options a person has when he decides to start taking payments. Sometimes the payments are for life and sometimes they are for certain periods like 5, 10, 15 or 20 years. There are also options for leaving money to beneficiaries (which lowers the monthly payment) usually up to 20 years. I always assumed the annuity option for a State Lottery was just like you wrote - a lifetime payment with 20 years guaranteed in case the winner dies. But when I read the press release I mentioned, it didn't state it that way. Maybe it just wasn't clear so I reacted to what I thought was an accurate statement. See the quote from the press release below. 

TALLAHASSEE--The Florida Lottery announced today SET FOR LIFE Scratch-Off game winner Donna Nix, accompanied by her husband Joe, of Lehigh Acres, accepted the top prize at Florida Lottery Headquarters today.

Nix, 45, took the cash option and received a check for $765,973.20. If she had chosen the annual option, Nix would have received $5,000 a month for 20 years. She purchased her winning Scratch-Off ticket Monday, April 24, at the Shell Station on Colonial Blvd.

Edit:  Here is a description of the game "SET FOR LIFE" from the Florida Lottery.

 Match any of YOUR NUMBERS to any of the WINNING NUMBERS, win prize shown for that number. If prize won is "LIFE", win $5,000 a month for 20 years.

 

 

which you may be right also, but if i just remember reading right from when WA had 4/100 Lucky for Life, i remember them mentioning (there was no cash option) if you died before the minimum was reached, your beneficiary recieved the remaining amount left in 1 lump sum, and the annuity was terminated, now if thats how all other states run im not sure, i dont possess a Ph.D. in lotto-ology

LOTTOMIKE's avatarLOTTOMIKE

i'd take the lump sum and get it over with.too many things could happen within a 20 year period.especially with the way the world is now.........

justxploring's avatarjustxploring

I just lost my post - having trouble with my ISP.

Hockeyguy, you are correct. Many annuities do pay a lump sum to the beneficiaries when the annuitant dies, so that is probably true of many or most lotteries. I have no idea, to tell you the truth. I think it all depends on how the payment structure is set up in the first place. Not referring to the lottery, there are some annuities that will not pay a lump sum if the owner of the annuity dies, but that's always specified in the contract. I agree with Mike and would take the cash.

Anyway, the only reason I posted on this subject was because I think using the term "FOR LIFE" when the lump sum payment is only $800,000 and/or the total number of guaranteed years is 20, is misleading and a total rip-off.  I have no idea if some states pay the winner for 25 or 30 years. If someone is 25 and wins a "FOR LIFE" game, will he get a check for the next 60 years if he lives until 85? I doubt it!  

 

CASH Only

When the tickets say "for life" they don't usually pay for an unlimited amount of years. A couple just won a scratch-off game in Lehigh (near me) and $5,000 a month for the rest of my life sounded nice, but then I read the fine print which reads "for up to 20 years" So whose life are they talking about?

BTW, so CashOnly doesn't have a fit here, FL does offer a lump sum and they took the $765,000 cash option.

the 20 is the minimum payout on the annuity. lets say Joe Blow wins that, if he dies in the 11th year, his estate gets the remaining years left up to 20 paid out (so 9 years)...but if joe blow lives longer than 20, when he dies the payments stop...correct me anybody here if im wrong

Yes, I completely agree with you, hockeyguy. Having studied insurance a few years back (and got licensed) I understand many of the different annuity options a person has when he decides to start taking payments. Sometimes the payments are for life and sometimes they are for certain periods like 5, 10, 15 or 20 years. There are also options for leaving money to beneficiaries (which lowers the monthly payment) usually up to 20 years. I always assumed the annuity option for a State Lottery was just like you wrote - a lifetime payment with 20 years guaranteed in case the winner dies. But when I read the press release I mentioned, it didn't state it that way. Maybe it just wasn't clear so I reacted to what I thought was an accurate statement. See the quote from the press release below. 

TALLAHASSEE--The Florida Lottery announced today SET FOR LIFE Scratch-Off game winner Donna Nix, accompanied by her husband Joe, of Lehigh Acres, accepted the top prize at Florida Lottery Headquarters today.

Nix, 45, took the cash option and received a check for $765,973.20. If she had chosen the annual option, Nix would have received $5,000 a month for 20 years. She purchased her winning Scratch-Off ticket Monday, April 24, at the Shell Station on Colonial Blvd.

Edit:  Here is a description of the game "SET FOR LIFE" from the Florida Lottery.

 Match any of YOUR NUMBERS to any of the WINNING NUMBERS, win prize shown for that number. If prize won is "LIFE", win $5,000 a month for 20 years.

 

 

which you may be right also, but if i just remember reading right from when WA had 4/100 Lucky for Life, i remember them mentioning (there was no cash option) if you died before the minimum was reached, your beneficiary recieved the remaining amount left in 1 lump sum, and the annuity was terminated, now if thats how all other states run im not sure, i dont possess a Ph.D. in lotto-ology

The WA Unlucky for Life (no cash option) online game was replaced last year by the Lucky for Life scratch, which gives winners a choice of $1000-a-week or $750,000 lump sum.

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