Lottery player who abandoned strategy thinks he won $100K. But it was much more
To win big, it turns out all a Maryland man had to do was look at his strategy — and abandon it entirely.
The Baltimore man usually buys lottery tickets at a gas station near his home, Maryland Lottery officials said in a Sept. 16 news release.
But the ATM he likes is close to a different gas station in Pikesville, so he opted to buy his Powerball ticket for the Sept. 3 drawing there instead, lottery officials said.
Normally, the player leaves the number picking to the machine and buys quick pick tickets, lottery officials said.
Again, though, lottery officials said the man wanted to try something new, this time per the suggestion of another player who urged him to pick “his own Powerball numbers based on the ages and birthdates of family and friends.”
The player didn’t check his ticket right after the Powerball drawing.
Instead, he waited nearly a week and only checked it after his wife told him to do so, lottery officials said.
Using the Maryland Lottery app on his phone, the man checked his ticket and thought he won a $100,000 prize.
“But then he checked again with his wife’s help,” lottery officials said.
That’s when reality hit: he won $1 million by matching all five white balls — 3, 16, 29, 61 and 69 — and just missing the Powerball, 22, lottery officials said.
The winner told lottery officials his big win won’t change his lifestyle,
“He works as a disability counselor and enjoys what he does,” lottery officials said.
The man, however, does plan to possibly take a vacation with his wife and invest the remaining funds, lottery officials said.
What to know about Powerball
To score the jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.
The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.
Tickets can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price vary by state.
Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This story was originally published September 17, 2025 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Lottery player who abandoned strategy thinks he won $100K. But it was much more."
