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BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — A lottery player in Missouri is starting off the new year feeling pretty lucky.

As the Mega Millions jackpot climbed to $1.35 billion last month, one player in Missouri decided to try his luck for the big prize after not playing Mega Millions for a while, according to the Missouri Lottery.

He began buying two plays for each drawing, including the Jan. 13 drawing. Almost two weeks after the drawing, he decided to start checking some of the tickets.

“I grabbed a pile, and on the second ticket I said, ‘Whoa!’” he told the Missouri Lottery.

The ticket had been purchased at Walmart Neighborhood Market in Blue Springs and had matched all five white-ball numbers drawn on Jan. 13 to win a $1 million prize.

The winning numbers were 30, 43, 45, 46 and 61.

“I knew somebody in Missouri had won the $1 million, but I didn’t know it was in Blue Springs,” he said. “It’s a little unreal.”

The Mega Millions drawing takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays. The Feb. 10 jackpot is an estimated $50 million.