Idaho man couldn't believe he’d won $100,000 — then a clerk’s small mistake led to a much bigger surprise
A New Year's surprise awaited a man when one of his lottery tickets turned out to be worth a fortune. Longtime lottery player Sean Klingler was joyous when he learned that he had won a $100,000 lottery prize. However, when the clerk double-checked the tickets, she unveiled the surprise that blew Klinger's mind. The Idaho man shared the story under the Instagram handle @idaholottery and revealed his "responsible plans" to utilize the money efficiently for his future, per PEOPLE, on Sunday, January 4, 2026.
2026 began with an unexpected twist for Klingler from Rigby, Idaho, when he discovered that he had won a $100,000 Raffle ticket. The family man had stopped by the local gas station to grab a cup of coffee when he decided to check some of the lottery tickets he had stashed behind his truck. To his surprise, he realized that he had won $100,000. However, when the clerk double-checked the tickets, she corrected him by dropping a surprise. "She said to me, 'No, I got it wrong, you won $1,000,000!'" he said. Klingler, who could not contain his happiness, immediately told his wife and daughter, but even they didn't believe him at first.
Klingler has been playing the lottery for a long time, and while he had dreamed of winning one day, when the day finally arrived, it felt "weird" to him. Klingler's reaction has been mentioned in the 1994 study published in PubMed. According to the research analyzing 261 lottery winners, the researchers found that the emotional reactions to winning were moderate. Moreover, many winners emphasized caution and frugal spending. It also highlighted their wish for anonymity to avoid attracting envy from others.
Other lottery winners have also faced shocking surprises that reshaped their futures. In another similar story, the once-homeless man, Armando Vidal from California, believed that he had won a small prize on a lottery ticket. He returned to the store from which he had purchased it. At first, he thought the ticket was worth $200, and then assumed it might be $100,000 that he had won, after scanning it. After losing his job years ago due to an injury, life had never been easy for him. However, when the store manager took a look and asked what Vidal planned to do with a million dollars, the homeless man was not ready for the shocking revelation. As it turned out, Vidal had actually won $1 million. After years of leading an uncertain livelihood, he finally gained a second chance at a stable life.
As of now, Klingler plans to take a "responsible approach" towards his reward by paying off his debts, gifting a new car to his wife, and saving the rest for their retirement. Soon after the video went viral, many users shared their thoughts. @dmargatey7295 wrote, "Congratulations to you and your family. Happy New Year and new life. God bless you and your family," @ronaldrigali commented, "Seems like a cool guy to win, congrats!" @emily.in.idaho expressed, "Manifesting this luck for 2026! Congrats!"
More on Amplify
Woman beat cancer after 5 years and major surgery — then luck struck again with a $12K lottery win
Family finally wins $1.2 million lottery after following the same pattern for the last 30 years