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Kentucky man ran out of gas, left station with a $1 million winning lottery ticket.

A Kentucky man is celebrating after a quick stop for gas turned into a winning lottery ticket and an extra $862,000 in his pocket.

Michael Schlemmer lives in Corbin, Kentucky, about 100 miles northwest of Knoxville. He ran out of gas on May 8 and stopped at Convenient Food Mart, the Kentucky Lottery said on its website.

“I ran out of gas, and I coasted in there,” he told the lottery. “I had $40 bucks on me and bought $20 worth of gas and bought a ticket.”

When he scratched the ticket, he saw the automatic symbol telling him he won the game’s $1,000,000 top prize.

“I scratched it off and I looked at it and went back (into) the store,” he said. “I showed the girls that sold it to me, and they about had a fit. The owners of the store were there, and they both started grinning.”

He said until he has the check in his hand, he won’t believe what has happened to him.

Michael Schlemmer, who was running out of gas and stopped to get some. While at the gas station, he also bought a lottery ticket and won a top $1,000,000 prize.
Michael Schlemmer, who was running out of gas and stopped to get some. While at the gas station, he also bought a lottery ticket and won a top $1,000,000 prize.

More on the $1,000,000 Luck game

The $20 ticket he purchased was part of the $1,000,000 Luck game. To play, customers must scratch off material from the play area. If players scratch the ticket and symbols from the "your numbers" and “winning numbers” areas match, they win.

There are also multiplier and stackable options to win more.

If the player scratches the ticket and sees a pot of gold symbol, they'll get a specific amount automatically, or $1 million in Schlemmer’s case.

Michael Schlemmer's winning lottery ticket. The man was running out of gas and stopped to get some. While there, he also bought a lottery ticket and won a top $1,000,000 prize.
Michael Schlemmer's winning lottery ticket. The man was running out of gas and stopped to get some. While there, he also bought a lottery ticket and won a top $1,000,000 prize.

Winners are able to choose between the game’s lump sum cash payment of $862,000 or annuity payments.

Schlemmer drove to lottery headquarters on May 11 and was finally able to claim his check for $616,330 after taxes.

And it’s not just him who gets a check. Convenient Food Mart will get $8,620 for selling the winning ticket.

Schlemmer wants to buy a new car and put the rest of his money in the bank, he told the lottery.

“I told the dealership I’m waiting for a big check to come in and then I hit that,” he said.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kentucky man gets $1 million lottery ticket after running out of gas