Auburn man sends son winning ticket

The following information was provided by the Hoosier Lottery:

A Florida Man is $777,777 richer after receiving a winning Hoosier Lottery ticket in the mail from his father. Thomas Pittman of Altamonte Springs, Florida flew to Indiana yesterday with his wife Nadia. They claimed their prize at Hoosier Lottery Headquarters this afternoon.

"I'm not giving away a Lottery ticket ever again," laughed Ron Pittman of Auburn. Pittman mailed the Super Lucky 7s Scratch-off ticket and a couple of gift cards to his son and daughter-in-law last week as a housewarming gift.

"When I put it in the mail, I was actually more worried about mailing the gift cards," said Ron Pittman. "At the time, the unscratched Lottery ticket was only worth $10!"

Thomas Pittman is originally from Auburn, Ind. and is a graduate of DeKalb High School. He moved to Florida about five years ago where he works as an audio visual manager for a resort near Disney World.

"I'm happy for them, especially Thomas because he's got a huge student loan," said the elder Pittman.

Thomas plans to use his winnings to pay off his student loans. Beyond that, the couple says they want to take it slow and "see what plays out in the future."

Although cautious, the Pittmans say they also plan to have a little fun with their winnings.

"We'll definitely stimulate the economy," said Thomas Pittman with a grin.

Ron Pittman purchased the lucky ticket at S&S Express at 1340 South Main Street in Auburn.

The Hoosier Lottery reminds all players to please play responsibly.