INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A Muncie, Indiana, man is the latest lucky Hoosier to win big money from the Hoosier Lottery.
Ricky Wilber grew up in Muncie just blocks from the Village Pantry at 603 W. Jackson Street in Muncie where he won $5 million on a Hoosier Lottery Scratch-off.
"Great and unbelievable" is the way Wilber described his win.
Wilber won on a $100 Million Cash Extravaganza Scratch-off ticket. The Delaware County man took several days to get his affairs in order, to hire a lawyer and a tax advisor, before claiming his prize. As he presented his winning ticket to Lottery officials at Hoosier Lottery Headquarters February 21, he relived the moment when he finally hit it big.
"I ran back in the store and I jumped up and hit my head on the ceiling," said Wilber. "I said to the clerk, Kelsey, 'You wanna hug a millionaire?'"
Wilber brought Mark Shelton, his good buddy of more than 20 years, with him to Hoosier Lottery Headquarters to claim his winnings.
"When he first called me and said 'Guess what I just did?' I could only imagine what he had done now," said Shelton with a laugh. "I was relieved, but thought he was joking when he said he won $5 million, but I could tell by his voice that he wasn't. It couldn't happen to a better, nicer person."
Wilber has been a carpenter for more than 30 years, but recently found himself laid-off. He has no plans to quit working since his win, but hopes to be able to work for himself now. He has three grown children and a great-niece that he is close to. The day he purchased his winning ticket, he was out and about because he had taken his great-niece to Kmart to buy her a new outfit.
With his winnings, Wilber plans to take a vacation to visit family in Tennessee and to do something he has never done in his fifty-some years - see the ocean. He hopes to take it slow and easy and consult his financial advisor before jumping into any big spending projects. He plans to keep living in the same house he purchased from his father and to keep the truck he purchased not too long ago.
"I still can't see spending $60,000 on a truck," said Wilber. "I'm not materialistic."
Instead of receiving payment of the $5 million over 30 years, he opted to take a one-time lump-sum payment of $3.4 million before taxes.
Yeahhhhhhh for Ricky!!!
Why doesn't my state have tickets like this.
Great motivational story. I like that he says he's not materialistic.
$3.4 million is not too shabby.
Yeah after state (3.4%) and federal (25%) taxes, he should walk away with $2,434,400 Not bad for a $20? scratch ticket! (Article didn't say).
all I can say is wow
Good for him! Now he can just be a part time carpenter!
Move me to Indiana cuz these Florida scratchers are scary!
I can remember as a young lad, my Mom telling me the scary story of: Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 "ate" 9.
Did your Mom tell you that one as well New York?
Must be great scratchin' around Halloween I bet?
She sure did and it stuck wit' me since.
I had nightmares for months, until I found out in school "7" was just a number!
Like your new signature, Franklin was an amazing guy.
"With his winnings, Wilber plans to take a vacation to visit family in Tennessee and to do something he has never done in his fifty-some years - see the ocean."
I'd like to be the first to welcome Rick to Tennessee but I hope he's not too disappointed when he finds out you cain't see the ocean from here.
I'll take him out honky-tonkin' though and get him good and drunk so he don't care nothin' 'bout no ocean.
And if we ain't back in a couple days, we'll be down in Mississippi and up to no good. Yeeee haaaaa!
Gulf, ocean, don't really make no nevermind nohow.
SH-T!, I thought you could see the Atlantic Ocean from Memphis?? Isn't that where Elvis caught all his catfish??
Now I know why I flunked Geography.
i walked close to the atlantic ocean today,when we took our dogs down to the harbor.
Congrats to the winner................
The RightPrice, Oklahoma has to be the scariest are largest scratch-off ticket is $40,000/ $50,000
To me, scratch games are whole lot harder to win because it's also about location and timing. Anyway congraturation to the winner.
$5 million off a scratch off ticket? Wow. That is pretty impressive.
its good that hes not materialistic, and doesnt want a new $60k truck. his financial advisors will tell him he cant afford it with only $3.2M before taxes. lol
great attitide ,
We have scratch tickets in Massachusetts that you can win $10,000,000 that cost only $20.
But you're more likely to spend $10,000,000 before you win that prize.
It reminds of the story in lottery post where a woman book keeper in NY stole about $3M from her work place to feed her lottery addiction.
She didn't win anything to talk about
and now she's in jail.
Scratch tickets are a sure way to burn your money. Avoid them at all costs. I know I do.
Congrats to the winner!! Is seems now a days , u have got to win the lottery to afford high ass gas prices!
Congrats to the winner!
I still cannot understand why people whine about Powerball Tickets being $2 for a minimum of $40,000,000 annuity & in turn they think that spending $20 on a ticket that the maximum is $5,000,000 is a bargain ................
Don't go to "high ass", go to another gas station! ............
Congrats to the lucky winner.
At first i was like "What. He's laid off and playing 20$ scratch-offs". Then i realized he's probably one of those that never buys himself anything and loves the lotto.
Because people LOVE to whine!
According to the Hoosier Lottery website, it was a $20 ticket. Wow.
Thanks Ruud for researching!
20.00 scratch tickets aren't for the timid. especially in a depressed miserable place like muncie. he deserves it for living there all these years. amazed that they can sell any of these overpriced scratch off tickets there and that the indiana lottery has the nerve to try to foist these on the poor people that live there. however, they actually put a winning one there and this guy walked into the right store at the right time and nailed it. beware muncieites that was the only one.
You're welcome.
Texas has a $20 game, Set for Life II, with four top prizes of $7,500,000 ($500k for 15 years). Imagine THAT!
Are you trying to imply maringoman, that spending $10,000,000 for a winning $20 scratcher is a bad deal??
C'mon, Taxachusetts has got to make it's money somehow!
I guess that's all I can probably do...............
That's how we get down in a Hick Town!
I went to college and university in NASHVILLE I would never guessed you lived among good people - lol.
You don't know dploy?
The scratch off tickets have a more jazzier color palate and appeal and don't get me started on the recycled paper!
Hey I gotta $20 in my wallet. Gonna dash to that service station now..!
congrat' s Ricky on your win . alway believed that Village Pantry would have a nice winner it one day . Glad it you. This is either the $10 o
or the $20 ticket enjoy
Don't forget the $50 Casino Action which has 3 top prizes of $7,500,000.
$3m lottery or $3m gambling (i.e., casino) addiction? That's a lot of scratch tickets if the former.
Anyway, the odds and payouts for instant tickets are better than draw games and they're also fun to play.
Congrats to the lucky winner.
Yes, mcginnin56, Ricky's is a good lump sum, net walk away amount, since it was only a 32% lump sum option reduction from the advertised annuity amount. Hopefully, Ricky will not only be thinking about the 25% (initial) federal taxation withdrawn amount but will remember that come next year he'll have to pay the Fed their remaining cut of approximately another 10%. Yikes, don't spend or gift too much of the money these next 12 months Ricky!
Congratulations, Ricky, on your thrilling scratch off ticket lump sum, net multi-million dollar win! I wish these lotteries would begin printing on the FRONT of their tickets that their multi-million dollar top prizes are 30-annual payment amounts, lesser if lump sum chosen.
No, RedStang, the article alluded that top prize lottery scratch winner, Ricky, is accustomed to treating himself well. Recall that the article indicated that Ricky had recently purchased a: $20 scratch off ticket(s), new truck, AND enjoyed taking his grand-niece out to purchase a new outfit for her.
So, Ricky already knows how to have a good time spending monies, yet hopefully without breaking his budget. Now he's got a bigger budget, so he can easily remain unemployed, become a good investor in only safe items with a fixed rate of return, and maybe gift each of his children (and maybe occasionally to his friend mentioned in the article) the $13k ANNUAL GIFT LIMIT every 12 months for the rest of their lifetimes or whenever. A joyful, rather comfortable lifestyle ... congratulations Ricky!
Right HaveABall, but if they advertised on the FRONT of the tickets about 30 annuity payments, they would probably see their sales of sratchers decline.
It's the same ol sales gimmick for hawking anything, make all the wonderful claims.......but you must read the fine print, which they will not bring to your
attention.
I had forgotten about the other 10% or so for additional federal tax.
Mega Millions is one ROLL OVER from hitting the 100m range! What will happen in the Powerball tonight? Will an LP player finally hit or will it rollllll?
Roll.