RIGBY, Idaho — Sixth-generation Idahoan Sean Klingler of Rigby claimed one of the $1,000,000 prizes from the popular Idaho Lottery game, the Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle.
“I’ve been playing the Lottery for a long time,” said a joyful Klingler when he received his winnings. “You dream about winning, and when it finally comes true, it’s weird.”
“I was at the local store having coffee and started checking some of my lottery tickets. I had eight Raffle tickets and when the clerk checked them, she told me I had won $100,000, I didn’t believe her. I thought maybe it was $100. Then she said to me, ‘no I got it wrong, you won $1,000,000!’ There was a lot of high-fiving in the store after that!”
After he signed the winning ticket, Klingler called his wife and daughter to share the good news. The Idaho Lottery says they then drove to Boise immediately to claim his winnings late Tuesday afternoon.
“Nobody believes you at first, that you won. They think you’re messing with them,” he told Lottery officials once he arrived in Boise.
The Idaho Lottery says Klingler plans to pay off a few debts, buy his wife a new car, then put the majority toward his future retirement.
There's more lottery winners out there, too. The $1,000,000 prize from this year’s Raffle game sold in Kootenai County remains unclaimed. That ticket number is 326200. Additionally, the $100,000 sold in Payette County is also unclaimed. That winning number is 271072. Players are encouraged to check all their tickets for winners.
