Man nearly lost his chance of claiming $500K lottery win after forgetting the winning ticket at store

Some stories are proof that life rewards you unexpectedly, but not before testing you a little. When a person wins several thousand dollars in the lottery, they are obviously over the moon. Of course, one cannot rule out jumping in joy. But this man from Iowa caught the internet's attention when his happiness on winning a lottery went a little overboard. The Iowa Lottery shared the story of Kevin Frey, who forgot his winning ticket in the store after hearing the news of his victory and it's an absolute laugh riot.

The Iowa Lottery announced its winners and 64-year-old Frey claimed the 8th of 14 top prizes in the "$500,000 Cash" scratch game. Having bought his ticket from Casey's store in New Hampton, Iowa, the long-time pastor in the town didn't expect to win. So, once he found the whopping amount he was going to receive, the man was on cloud nine. Overwhelmed by his win, Frey left his winning ticket in the store and ran out to call his family to convey the news. Now, imagine someone else getting a hold of that winning ticket when Frey was away - sounds terrifying, isn't it? Luckily, fortune was in Frey's favor that day. 

Speaking to CBS 2 IOWA, Frey said, "I was so excited and flustered that I left the ticket inside of Casey's store and went out to the car and started calling everybody, calling my wife at first and everybody else." One of Frey's adult children randomly asked him to share a picture of the winning ticket. That's when it dawned upon him that he made a silly mistake. He instantly ran back to the Casey's store and inquired the clerk about his ticket. The clerk, who was as puzzled about the win as Frey was, had placed the ticket near the lottery terminal. The store clerk finally agreed to hand over it to Frey and save his day. As per the blog, Frey's children knew well about his flights of fancies and asked him for proof, which eventually turned out fruitful.

On February 20, Frey encashed the $500K he won. Sharing his wishes on spending his prize money, Frey said that he and his wife have always wanted to move to the Des Moines area post-retirement to be closer to their family. He was glad that this lottery win would pave the way to effectuate that plan and also to actualize other long-term plans and investments. The 64-year-old also expressed his interest in sharing his win with his family and dedicating some amount to the charities they've supported for years. Being the dedicated pastor that he is, Frey went on with his church services last Sunday, totally unimpacted by this remarkable win.

Speaking of luck in lotteries, another man was fortunate enough to win a whopping $24 million with the tickets that were lying in his shirt pockets. With just 2 days to expire, the tickets found their way to their owner at the perfect time. Retired security officer Jimmie Smith finally claimed his prize money from the year-old tickets and couldn't believe it was even real. Not just Smith but even the gaming commissions were in awe that the lucky winner grabbed the millions after almost losing it.