Imagine ‘Losing’ $195,000. It Happened To One Woman

When it comes to lottery players, Perle Erwin of Waynesville Missouri is a veteran. She has been consistently playing the same four sets of numbers for 30 years. All the number sets are combinations of family birthdays.

As her grandchildren's birthdays approached, she mixed it up a little. Erwin played their upcoming ages, 5, 17, 23, 26, and 30 and she won $195,000.

“The winning numbers looked familiar to me, so I went home to look for my ticket,” Erwin told Missouri Lottery officials.

Imagine the panic that set in when she couldn't find her ticket. Turns out Erwin hid the winning ticket so well that she said, “It took me three weeks to find my ticket!”

Erwin eventually found her ticket and claimed her prize at Lottery headquarters on Nov. 30.

I bet her grandchildren will get some extra special, and perhaps expensive, gifts for Christmas this year.