Missouri duo's $50,000 Powerball ticket sat unchecked for months

Nov. 10 (UPI) -- A Missouri man who won a $50,000 lottery prize with a friend said the ticket had been on his dresser for months before he discovered it was a winner.

The Missouri Lottery said the man and a friend bought a ticket for the June 11 Powerball drawing from the QuikTrip store on Belleau Creek Road in O'Fallon.

"Me and a buddy I've known for 50 years have been playing for the last few years," the man told lottery officials. "I've known him since seventh grade. We had lockers close to each other."

The man said the ticket had been left unchecked for months before he remembered to bring it to a store and have it scanned.

"The ticket was on my dresser since June 11," the man said. "When I checked it, the clerk said, 'You won $50,000!' and I said, 'That's good!'"

The man said he called his wife to tell her the news.

"I called my wife and asked her how her day was going. Then I told her, 'Here's how my day's going!'"

The man did not disclose whether he has any plans for his share of the winnings.