Firefighter ‘felt lucky’ before winning big Powerball prize. Then he went to work

A Maryland firefighter found out he had scored a big lottery win — but duty called, officials say. He went in to work.

The 41-year-old from Odenton won $50,004 in a Sept. 16 Powerball drawing, Maryland Lottery officials said in a Sept. 18 news release.

The man said he “randomly” decided to play the lottery the day before the drawing in Oxon Hill, in Prince George’s County.

“I bought a sandwich and then I felt lucky,” he told lottery officials.

So he bought a Powerball ticket that ended up bringing in one of the state’s three third-tier prizes in that day’s drawing.

He found out before work that he had won, officials say. He matched four of the five winning numbers and the Powerball, earning him the $50,000. He won $4 off another line.

“I was a wreck, but I still had to go to work,” he told lottery officials.

He admitted to telling some of his co-workers when he got to the station.

“I couldn’t keep it to myself,” he told officials. “It was hard to contain.”

He said he plans to use his winnings to pay his bills.

The Sept. 18 drawing has the 10th largest jackpot in Powerball history at about $638 million, Maryland and Powerball officials say.

What to know about Powerball

To score a 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 cost $2 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times 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 18, 2023 at 6:53 PM with the headline "Firefighter ‘felt lucky’ before winning big Powerball prize. Then he went to work."