An avid Powerball player is thrilled after winning a $1 million second-tier prize. The 58-year-old was so excited about his big win, that he could not stop telling Lottery officials how it happened.
The winner bought the ticket last Saturday, the same day as the drawing, while running some errands. He bought two tickets — one with numbers he chose and one Quick Pick. After making the purchase, he went home, took a nap and woke up around midnight to check the numbers. “I checked the first ticket and matched a few numbers, nothing big,” he said. “But, then I saw that the Quick Pick ticket matched all five white balls.” The retired federal government employee was shocked, but instead of waking his wife, he went back to sleep and shared the news with her in the morning.
His wife added that her husband, who missed only the Power Ball, was more than just one ball away from the jackpot win. “The Power Ball drawn was a 14 and his number was 15,” she said. The lucky player said $1 million is a significant win, but not a game changer. “Don’t get me wrong, it is definitely going to help, but I’m not going to let it change my life,” he smiled. The winner plans to be smart with the prize money and use it towards his childrens’ education, to help his family and for emergency purposes. The winning ticket was purchased at the 7-11, located at 9201 Oxon Hill Road in Fort Washington.