M
Mitsuhide Akechi
Guest
Man beats odds to win lottery twice
ST. LOUIS | Wed Sep 29, 2010 12:48pm EDT
ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - For a Missouri man, luck comes in pairs. Against odds of 1 in 1.36 million Ernest Pullen clinched his first million-dollar win in June when he scratched off the "100 Million Dollar Blockbuster" prize on a lottery ticket.
The 57-year-old Bonne Terre, Mo man did it again this month, against even bigger odds, and doubled that prize by winning $2 million on a "Mega MONOPOLY" scratchers ticket he purchased on September 17, according to officials with the Missouri Lottery. "That was his second time winning," said Misty Eye, store manager of the Miller's Quick Shop that sold Pullen the prize-winner.
"He acted like it was no big deal." Pullen could not be reached for comment, but lottery officials said he told them he had had a dream that he won the lottery and considers himself "a lucky guy." Pullen opted to take a lump sum cash payment worth $1.3 million before taxes after his latest win. He plans to use some of the money to fix up his house.
(Reporting by Carey Gillam, editing by Greg McCune and Patricia Reaney)
