Couple wins $400 lottery prize. Then their ‘backup’ ticket reveals an even bigger win
An Ohio couple was stunned to win the lottery — twice.
The pair’s consistency over the past nine months proved to be a success when they finally won $417 during the Dec. 3 drawing by playing numbers associated with their birthdays, Ohio lottery officials said in a Dec. 10 news release.
They bought more than one ticket for that night’s drawing, but didn’t check the numbers until the next day.
Randy and Tanya Metzger took their tickets to a Speedway in Galion to cash in their prize. They scanned the rest of their tickets for good measure.
One ticket, which was purchased as a “backup,” surprised the couple when a huge dollar amount appeared on the screen.
“It said, ‘$25,208.50’ and I go, ‘what?’ and then I look and thought, ‘those are the same numbers,” Randy Metzger told lottery officials.
The couple had taken a chance and had the lottery system automatically pick their numbers. They had the correct numbers on their ticket, lottery officials said, but they were in a different order.
After taxes, the couple will take home approximately $18,150, officials said.
They plan to use the cash to pay off their car and “make Christmas merrier for several people who are in need,” according to officials.
Galion is about a 60-mile drive northeast from Columbus.
This story was originally published December 12, 2024 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Couple wins $400 lottery prize. Then their ‘backup’ ticket reveals an even bigger win."
