Extra cash in lottery player’s pocket leads to big jackpot win. ‘Heart started racing’
A Maryland man was leaving a convenience store when he put his hand in his pocket and felt something.
“There was $4,” the man said in a Nov. 12 Maryland Lottery news release.
The Prince George’s County man turned around and went back inside the Waldorf store, lottery officials said.
“I had already bought my tickets for the week, but because I was right there at the store, I figured I’d get a couple more,” the man said.
He bought two 7-11-21 instant tickets for $2 each, lottery officials said.
When he went to scan the tickets, “he noticed something peculiar,” according to lottery officials.
“The tickets looked different, somehow,” the man told lottery officials.
“His heart started racing” upon realizing a possible reason why.
“The first ticket showed a jackpot of $45,166,” the man said, “The second ticket showed $1,500.”
The game 7-11-21 has a progressive jackpot, meaning the jackpot climbs with each ticket purchase, lottery officials said. When a winning ticket is sold, the jackpot drops back down to $1,500.
The man said the two different jackpots on his tickets likely meant his first ticket had won the $45,166 jackpot.
“That had to be it,” the man said.
Even still, the man wasn’t convinced he had won.
“With a trembling hand,” he scanned his first ticket at the vending machine, lottery officials said.
“I usually see ‘No winner’ or the amount I won,” the man said. “This time it was different.”
Still unsure if he had won, the man gave his ticket to the cashier to confirm.
“When I saw the guy’s face light up, I knew it was real,” the man said.
The man told lottery officials he plans to spend some of his winnings on family and the rest to pay down some debt.
Waldorf is about a 54-mile drive southwest from Baltimore.
This story was originally published November 13, 2024 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Extra cash in lottery player’s pocket leads to big jackpot win. ‘Heart started racing’."
