Roger Shue of Star said his dream of retirement can finally happen after a $30 scratch-off ticket turned into a $1 million prize.
“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Shue said. “I was hoping to retire soon, but now I can retire early.”
Shue, a 64-year-old boiler operator, said he went to the gas station and only intended to buy one ticket, but he made a last-second decision not to fill up his tank all the way so that he could buy one additional scratch-off.
“I scratched the first one and nothing,” Shue said. “It was the second one I bought that hit the million.”
Shue bought his $10,000,000 Colossal Cash ticket from the Mex on South Main Street in Star. He said it took a while for the win to sink in.
“It really didn’t hit me for a couple hours,” Shue said. “Then I just started shaking.”
When Shue arrived at lottery headquarters Wednesday, he had a decision to make. He could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump-sum amount of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $426,069.
Shue said he is going to pay some bills, remodel his house, and share his winnings with his four sons.
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