Man allegedly gave himself $2K in lottery tickets

He was set to leave the job in just a few days, but not before allegedly giving himself a parting gift.

Police say a Tennessee smoke shop employee turned one of his final shifts into a personal payday, walking off with more than $2,200 in lottery tickets. What didn't he count on? The cameras were rolling.

Caught on camera

On June 25, an employee at Smokin' Joe's Tobacco Shop in Hixson allegedly stole over $2,200 worth of lottery tickets during his shift, according to an affidavit from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.

According to a store manager, an employee, later identified as Michael Gibson, took two full books of Tennessee Lottery tickets. Gibson also allegedly took several individual tickets.

Gibson activated the books himself before stealing them, the manager told police. One of the books contained $25 tickets and was valued at $561. The other book contained $50 tickets and was worth $841.50.

Police were able to obtain surveillance footage, which reportedly showed Gibson taking and scanning 18 individual tickets that were valued at $800. There was also a video showing Gibson allegedly removing tickets from a display and then scanning them at a nearby machine before walking off camera.

At one point in the recording, Gibson can be seen placing a book of tickets on the counter and scratching individual tickets.

His own severance package?

The manager told police that she had previously noticed a sales discrepancy at the smoke shop. After this incident took place on June 25, she now believes Gibson may have taken lottery tickets at other times, but she has not confirmed those details.

Gibson started working at the smoke shop in April 2025 and just recently put in his two weeks' notice. His last day was scheduled for July 3.

Police said they were able to confirm his identity using a Tennessee driver's license. The smoke shop is planning on prosecuting, and authorities said they would seek arrest warrants for theft over $1,000 and lottery fraud.

A winner steps forward

Meanwhile, the Tennessee Lottery has been celebrating big wins recently after a Publix in Spring Hill sold two multi-million dollar winning tickets within days of each other earlier this month.

On June 7, one lucky ticket sold at that Publix store in Spring Hill matched all the numbers drawn to win the $37.37 million Lotto America jackpot. Then, on June 10, one lucky ticket purchased at the same store won $4 million playing Mega Millions.

While the $4 million winner has yet to step forward to claim their prize, the winner of the second-largest jackpot in Lotto America history has stepped forward to claim their prize. A trustee representing the winner arrived at the lottery's headquarters in Nashville to claim the prize on the winner's behalf.

They opted for a one-time cash payment, which worked out to be about $16.8 million before federal tax withholdings. In addition to their big win, the Publix store received a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning Lotto America ticket.

Enjoy playing the Tennessee Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.