POPLAR BLUFF MAN BIG WINNER IN MISSOURI'S NEW LOTTERY GAME

POPLAR BLUFF -- Sam Schalk of Poplar Bluff said he ordinarily waits until Saturday to buy a few lottery tickets.

Wednesday night, tempted by a new game called "Jackpot," Schalk tried his luck a few days early and became the first $50,000 instant winner in the Missouri Lottery.

Paul Senter, lottery regional sales representative, said the Jackpot game offered the largest-ever instant prize in Missouri. The new game officially began last week.

Four other $50,000 winners were circulated throughout the state, but were unclaimed as of Thursday, he said.

Schalk, who owns Gamblin Lumber Co. on Peach Street here, stopped on his way home about 6:30 p.m. at The Filling Station, a convenience store on East Pine Boulevard. He bought five tickets from clerk Clinton Ruble.

"I usually buy a few tickets one or two times a week," said Schalk. "Ordinarily, I wait until Saturday but I just happened to see the new game and thought I might as well try it."

The Filling Station had received its first Jackpot tickets on Tuesday, said store manager Jane Edington.

"He scratched off the first ticket and said (in a calm voice) `I just won $50,000,'" said Ruble. "It was ticket No. 88" in a bundle of 500 tickets.

Ruble said he had purchased ticket No. 87 "just before he (Schalk) bought his."

The news spread fast. Rita Schalk said her husband arrived home at 6:45. The couple's teen-age daughters, Lori and Melanie, were the first to know, she said.

"My daughters came in the door and said, `Dad just won $50,000 in the lottery,'" Mrs. Schalk said. "He was being pretty calm about it, but he was shaking."

After telling his parents and a few neighbors, Schalk said later in the evening he went ahead and scratched the four remaining tickets.

"There were two $2 winners in the rest," he said.

The couple also have a son, Eric, who attends Southeast Missouri State University.

"We're bringing him home this weekend," Mrs. Schalk said.

Schalk said his previous biggest winner in the lottery was about $60. His father won $1,000 a few years back, he said.

"I've never been especially lucky," he said. "I've bought my share of losers, too."

Thursday was a "very busy day" when the Schalks went back to work and school. Mrs. Schalk works in the billing office at Municipal Utilities in City Hall and the girls attend Poplar Bluff schools.

"People kept coming by and sticking their hand out," said Mrs. Schalk. "(Sgt.) Ed DeGaris (of the city police) kept trying to get me to buy tickets for a shotgun they are giving away. I don't know what I'd do with a shotgun."

Several callers to the Schalk home were friends "claiming to be long lost relatives," she said with a laugh.

Sam Schalk, an avid collector of classic automobiles, said he has his eye on a red Corvette.

"After I pay my taxes and buy the Corvette, I think I'll borrow the money from my father to pay the sales tax," Schalk said with laugh.

Senter said Schalk will receive his prize winnings in one lump sum after taxes are withheld. He said he did not know exactly how much that would be.

Lottery officials list the odds of winning the grand prize at one-in-1,728,000.

Tracy Edington of Butler County Oil Co., which owns The Filling Station, said the company has had one $25,000 winner in the Lotto game. Previously, the largest instant winner was $7,500 with "a couple other $5,000 winners."

"We sold a lot more tickets than usual on Thursday," said Jane Edington. "Everybody thinks we might bring them some luck."