Prayers answered for family who won top prize in Kansas Lottery Holiday Millionaire Raffle

TOPEKA, Kan. - The wife of a man who won $1 million in the Kansas Lottery Holiday Millionaire Raffle says the windfall is an answered prayer for her family.

“I prayed to God that we would win the $1 million because we really needed it,” she said on the brink of tears.

The Wichita family who won the top prize in the Dec. 31 drawing has chosen to remain anonymous. Kansas is one of six states that do not require large lottery winners to publicly claim prizes.

The man who purchased the ticket told lottery officials “something inside him” told him he was going to win the top prize.

“The whole family started crying and hugging and jumping up and down,” he said of when he informed them they had won. “This has truly changed our lives.”

The man, a house painter in his 40s, brought his wife and three children to the Kansas Lottery headquarters in Topeka in a borrowed car, because his family does not own one.

“We’re going to use the prize money to buy a car and a house,” he said.

The winner purchased his lucky raffle ticket at Dillons 31, located at 1640 S. Broadway St. in Wichita. The store receives a $1,000 bonus for selling the ticket.