Playing birthdates led to the winning numbers
For years, a Washington, D.C. couple have played combinations of the family’s birthdates on Powerball tickets. Their determination finally paid off when they matched five out of six numbers for the Dec. 11 Powerball drawing, earning them a second-tier prize of $1 million.
The husband, who is a warehouse worker, purchased five sets of numbers for four draws. One of those sets of numbers was the winning combination 1-10-13-18-19.
“I scanned the ticket and saw a message about coming to Lottery headquarters,” he recalled. “There was a man nearby playing Keno and he told me that I must’ve won something big.”
Immediately, the winner asked the clerk to print out the drawing results. Sure enough, he had won the second-tier prize. “The first thing I did was call my wife and my brother-in-law,” he said.
His wife was at work when she received the phone call. She thought her husband was playing a joke on her. “I don’t like to be messed around with, so I told him it wasn’t funny,” she shared.
Eventually, the man convinced his wife that the $1 million win was a fact. Anxious to claim their prize, the couple came to Lottery headquarters in Baltimore accompanied by two close family members for support. “This is just so unreal, you know?” the lucky woman said.
They told their children about the win but the kids were skeptical. To prove they are Powerball winners, the couple took a family photo with their giant check in the Lottery Winner’s Lounge to text to their children. For now, the two have no plans for the funds other than depositing the check in the bank.
They bought the $1 million winning Powerball ticket at the W Express at 6400 New Hampshire Ave. in Takoma Park.