KANSAS CITY, Mo — One couple is celebrating the holiday season with a $71.5 million jackpot.
On December 26, Kevin Carlson, 49, and his wife discovered that they had won the $71.5 million Powerball jackpot from the Missouri Lottery, when Carlson stopped by the Autobahn BP, located at 7538 N.W. Prairie View Road in Plate Woods, Mo., to scan his ticket. Carlson said he stops by that particular convenience store frequently to get coffee and breakfast while on his way to work.
Carlson held the only winning ticket for the Christmas Day Powerball drawing’s jackpot, but at first he did not believe it.
“The first time I scanned it, I didn’t believe it, so I scanned it again,” he said. “I kind of went nuts.”
In fact, Carlson has already quit his job as a mechanic, although his wife plans to continue working.
“Now that I don’t work, I plan to use my time to figure out what to do with the money,” he added.
The couple plans to use some of their winnings to pay off bills and to financially help their two grown children. They also plan to take a trip to their upcoming 30th wedding anniversary, and Carlson plans to buy his dream car, a 1968 Camaro.
In addition to the Carlson’s jackpot, Autobahn BP will receive $50,000 as a bonus for selling the winning ticket.
The Carlsons are the 28th players to win a Powerball jackpot in Missouri, and the 389th Missouri Lottery-made millionaires, since the Lottery began in 1986.
