The winning numbers from the National Lottery UK draw on Wednesday July 29th were 18, 21, 31, 42, 45, 47 and the bonus ball was 19. Ruggeri-Rea, 61, has been the city’s courts administrator for almost 10 years. Rea purchased the winning ticket at a Gas Mart store on Hampton Avenue in south St. Louis. He just wanted to scan the ticket to see if he’d won anything, but within the span of a few minutes, the routine errand turned into a milestone moment. “You won!'” Rea shared. Tipton, who plans to appeal his conviction, denies tinkering with a number-generating computer or soliciting friends to try to anonymously cash the winning ticket. The last jackpot victor was in August 2010 when Randy Smith of Martinsburg won a $79 million jackpot. The previous year jackpots exceeded that amount, the point at which sales begin to noticeably accelerate, six times. Pick 4 winners receive $5,000 for a $1 straight bet and the odds of winning are 1-in-10,000. The numbers have a special significance to Rea as they are a combination of family birthdays. The drawing was, appropriately enough, on Independence Day. It’s the third highest annual sales figure, behind 2006 and 2013 which both exceeded $339 million. Rea, who is on vacation this week, said he wasn’t sure if he’d return to work.
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“She said, ‘Oh, my God, mister”.
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Ruggeri-Rea was appointed to the courts administrator position by Mayor Francis Slay in 2006. For selling the winning ticket, the Safeway store received a retailer bonus of $8,569. At the time, Slay’s administration said she didn’t follow procedures but didn’t break any law. She said emergency help was needed to get the court’s financial books in order after staffers left.
