Powerball winner uses prize to buy new lottery ticket — and has a ‘pleasant surprise’

A construction worker landed a “pleasant surprise” after deciding to stop for lottery tickets on his way to work, Maryland officials said.

The man had a $2 winning Powerball ticket so he stopped at a liquor store in Oakland to buy some new games, according to an Oct. 29 news release by the Maryland Lottery.

Then he went to work, having no clue he had just bought a ticket that would win a $50,000 prize during the Oct. 21 drawing, officials said.

The next day, the man went to another retailer to scan his quick-pick ticket and learned of his win, the release said.

He had matched four white balls and the Powerball for a third-tier prize, officials said.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said in the release. “I almost won the jackpot, just one number off.”

Then he rushed home to share the good news with his wife who also confirmed the win, officials said.

“He was so excited that he made himself sick,” the lucky man’s wife told lottery officials.

The man plans to invest the money, the release said.

Oakland is about a 190-mile drive west of Baltimore.

This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Powerball winner uses prize to buy new lottery ticket — and has a ‘pleasant surprise’."