Lottery player loses winning $1.2M ticket in Tennessee — but his luck hadn’t run out
A Tennessee man says he lucked up hours after losing a winning lottery ticket worth nearly $1.2 million.
Nick Slatten was “stunned” after learning he had won the lottery’s top prize earlier this month. The Sparta native purchased the “Tennessee Cash” ticket March 10 when he stopped at a grocery store in Smithville, about 70 miles east of Nashville, according to the Tennessee Education Lottery.
The next day, he used the lottery’s mobile app to check his ticket and realized he’d matched all the numbers in the drawing, making him an instant millionaire.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Slatten told lottery officials. “I can’t express it. It was something else.”
He rushed to tell his fiancée the good news, then went about his day as usual — running an errand for his brother at a local O’Reilly Auto Parts store before heading home, according to the Tennessee Lottery.
It wasn’t until nearly an hour later that he realized the winning ticket was gone.
“I couldn’t find it anywhere,” Slatten said, according to lottery officials.
He quickly retraced his steps back to the auto parts store, where he spotted the unsigned ticket on the ground near the driver’s side of another car. Slatten said the person had likely stepped over his million-dollar ticket without thinking twice.
Lottery officials say anyone can cash in on a lost or unclaimed ticket, so it’s important to sign it immediately after purchasing.
With their newfound wealth, Slatten said he and his fiancée plan to buy a home and upgrade their cars.
