Double takes and disbelief: ten remarkable lottery discoveries
This collection of stories highlights moments when lottery winners struggled to believe their unexpected good fortune.
One Powerball player in New Jersey realized he had won a $223 million jackpot, while a Baltimore grandfather won $32,000 after a bar ticket mix-up. In another case, a North Carolina mom used family birthdays for her Powerball numbers and secured a $150,000 prize, and a Florida winner handpicked her Fantasy 5 numbers at a Publix to win nearly $130,000.
A South Carolina woman bought a random Clemson Jackpot scratch-off and hit for $200,000, while a North Carolina man trusted his instinct about a green scratch-off, which resulted in a $200,000 win. Meanwhile, a Maryland man saw a confetti message on his lottery app, finding out he had won $50,000, and another Maryland winner kept checking her glasses, unsure she was really seeing her $50,000 Bonus Match 5 prize.
Read the stories below.
NO. 1: POWERBALL PLAYER HITS $223 MILLION JACKPOT. WHERE WAS THE LUCKY TICKET SOLD?
It’s the first top prize winner since May 6, lottery officials say. | Published June 11, 2024 | Read Full Story by Don Sweeney
NO. 2: GRANDPA DOES DOUBLE TAKE AFTER ‘MISTAKE’ TICKET NETS BIG LOTTERY WIN. ‘MY GOODNESS’
“I always keep my mistake tickets,” the Maryland man said. | Published June 12, 2024 | Read Full Story by Daniella Segura
NO. 3: SPECIAL SET OF NUMBERS LEADS NORTH CAROLINA MOM TO HUGE POWERBALL WIN. ‘FEELS SURREAL’
The mom couldn’t wait to tell her girls about the huge prize. | Published July 12, 2024 | Read Full Story by Simone Jasper
NO. 4: LOTTERY TICKET WORTH NEARLY $130,000 SOLD AT FLORIDA PUBLIX. HERE’S WHERE
The player won the top prize in a Fantasy 5 drawing. | Published July 15, 2024 | Read Full Story by Olivia Lloyd
NO. 5: MOM BUYS LOTTERY TICKET BEFORE CHURCH — AND SHE WINS BIG PRIZE IN MARYLAND. ‘SURPRISE’
She’s not exactly sure what sparked her drive to buy a ticket, “but she is surely happy she did,” lottery officials said. | Published July 23, 2024 | Read Full Story by Daniella Segura
NO. 6: LOTTERY PLAYER RUSHES HOME TO TELL WIFE OF BIG WIN. ‘HIS DREAM WAS NOW A REALITY’
The Maryland man said he plans to spend his winnings paying off his car. | Published October 17, 2024 | Read Full Story by Daniella Segura
NO. 7: LOTTERY PLAYER ‘TOOK A CHANCE ON’ RANDOM SOUTH CAROLINA TICKET. IT PAID OFF BIG TIME
“I am happy.” | Published November 8, 2024 | Read Full Story by Simone Jasper
NO. 8: MAN WINS HUGE LOTTERY PRIZE AGAIN IN MARYLAND — BUT THIS TIME HE DOESN’T HAVE TO SHARE
The man used a mixture of quick-pick numbers and relative’s birth dates for the ticket. | Published January 29, 2025 | Read Full Story by Paloma Chavez
NO. 9: ‘SHOCKED’ LOTTERY PLAYER KEEPS CLEANING HER GLASSES AFTER SHE SEES BIG WIN IN MARYLAND
“I thought it was wrong.” | Published February 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Daniella Segura
NO. 10: LOTTERY TICKET STOOD OUT TO NC MAN — THEN HE HIT THE JACKPOT. ‘IT JUST CAUGHT MY EYE’
The prize winner couldn’t believe his luck. | Published February 16, 2025 | Read Full Story by Simone Jasper
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.