Yahoo Finance Laid-off man wins $1 million from lottery
Laid off since May, Oregon man buys lottery ticket during corndog stop, wins $1 million
The Gunn family of Wolf Creek, Ore., accepts a symbolic check for $1 million before taxes from Oregon Lottery official Ray Martin on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013, at the convenience store where they bought it in Merlin, Ore. Riley Gunn lost his job as a project manager for a telecommunications company in May 2012 and moved his family to a one-room cabin outside Wolf Creek, Ore. While he and his wife were driving home, they pulled off the freeway for corn dogs and pizza pockets and bought an $8 ticket, and won $1 million dollars. Riley and Misti Gunn are at center, with their sons Elijah, 13, left, and Isac, 11, and daughter, Destenie, 9, right. (AP Photo/Jeff Barnard)
MERLIN, Ore. (AP) -- Laid off since May, Riley Gunn was driving his wife and kids home to their cabin in the woods in Southern Oregon after registering for computer programming classes, when he pulled off the freeway to buy corndogs for the kids.
Gunn says he decided to also buy a lottery ticket because he felt sure he'd win — even though money was tight and he knew his wife wouldn't approve. He purchased an $8 ticket, letting the machine pick the numbers.
When he checked online, Gunn found he'd won $1 million.
Gunn says after collecting his $670,000 in winnings, after taxes, he gave a tenth to his church, bought a pair of new Jeeps, and put in a bid on a house. He plans to use the rest to start his own software business.
