State worker wins $71,000 lottery jackpot

A Missouri state employee who bought her winning lottery ticket at the Truman State Office Building has claimed her prize.

Claudia Browner of Jefferson City said she regularly stops for tickets at the snack shop affiliated with Harry's Place Cafeteria, 301 W. High St., in Jefferson City. The Truman Building has a number of state offices open to the public, and visitors can purchase lottery tickets at the snack shop on the main floor.

Browner bought a Quick Pick ticket on New Year's Eve that resulted in a $71,000 prize.

"I've won smaller amounts on the Scratchers, but nothing significant, ever," began Browner. "So, this is pretty cool."

Browner said she found out about the windfall on Jan. 2.

"I went downstairs to the little snack shop, and I scanned it," she recalled. "My hands were shaking, and I was really nervous. I kept thinking that I have to drive over to the lottery headquarters to make sure there wasn't some error, make sure it was really a win."

That's exactly what she did. Browner called her husband, Kevin, and the two took leave to claim the winning ticket.

"I didn't want to keep the ticket in my pocket and get it lost, or stolen or something," said Browner with a laugh.

Her winning numbers: 5, 8, 19, 21 and 30. There were two winning tickets for the Dec. 31 drawing. Each got half of the advertised jackpot of $142,000, or $71,000. The other winning ticket was sold in Marthasville.

Browner said she's a big fan of the Show Me Cash game.

"The dollar - it's not expensive, and to me, it's almost overwhelming to think about winning Mega Millions or something, where it's so life-changing," she explained. "This is more like a manageable amount."

Plans for the windfall were simple - the Browners hope to pay off their house. The win will free up money in the monthly budget for other things. Claudia is originally from Germany, and she said they might now be able to take a trip home to visit family.