A LOTTERY player was unable to buy his preferred ticket for a game, but his second choice won him $500,000.
The player used their quick thinking when asking the cashier for another ticket, and walked away with their life changed.
A lottery player was unable to buy his preferred ticket for a game, but his second choice won him $50,000[/caption]
The lottery winner, who asked to remain anonymous, found themselves out of luck when going to buy a ticket in Detroit, Michigan.
They asked for a Triple Red 777s ticket at a gas station located in Caro, roughly 30 miles east of Saginaw.
But when they were sold out, they asked for a Detroit Tigers ticket, which turned out to be a $50,0000 decision that worked in their favor.
The player said: “I stopped at the gas station to buy a Triple Red 777s ticket, but they were sold out, so I told the cashier to give me a Detroit Tigers ticket instead.
“It was hard to believe when I saw I’d won $500,000, but after looking the ticket over several times, I told myself it must be real.
“I signed the ticket and took it back into the store to have the cashier check it.
“After she scanned it, she handed it back and said: ‘Looks like you have to go to Lansing for this one!’
“Winning $500,000 is an answered prayer and still hasn’t fully sunk in.”
The player visited the Lottery headquarters in Lansing to claim his prize.
The winner plans to use the money to support his family now and invest some of it for the future.
POWERBALL SEARCH
Elsewhere, lottery officials are searching for the holder of a $50,000 Poweerball ticket that has not been cashed in yet.
The player drew a Match 4 plus Powerball ticket from February this year, and nearly six months on, there is still no sign of it.
They only have 26 days left to come forward and claim, and if they don’t, they will lose their chance forever.
The deadline to claim the cash is set for August 9, after it was purchased in Colorado at a King Soopers store.
Lucky lottery numbers – fact or fiction?
The U.S. Sun spoke exclusively with professor of mathematics at Davidson College, Tim Chartier, who revealed the truth behind lucky numbers.
Scooping up a jackpot prize in a lottery game such as Powerball or Mega Millions involves correctly guessing a series of numbers.
Many players swear by certain numbers, sticking with digits such as birthdays, anniversaries, or ages – but do these numbers statistically carry the luck that players believe they do?
According to Chartier, they do.
“I think a number is lucky if you have fun playing it and it improves your experience of winning,” he said.
“The big lotteries are, statistically speaking, a chance to dream of being a multi-millionaire or even billionaire. If playing a certain number heightens that experience, then yes!”
However, the lottery expert clarified that aside from the feel-good implications of playing your “lucky numbers,” no number is truly lucky when it comes to the lottery.
“All numbers are equally likely,” said Chartier.
He explained that even though all numbers are equally likely, some may seem to appear more often.
For example, rolling a six-sided die six times does not guarantee that you will roll each number exactly once.
The Powerball website reads: “If a grand prize goes unclaimed, the money is returned to each participating state in line with how much they generated during that particular jackpot run.
“Unclaimed Powerball prizes in other categories are kept by the relevant lottery jurisdiction, and redistributed according to state rules.
“In many states, this money is used to support good causes.”
Players are strongly advised to check their tickets in case they are the ones holding onto this amazing jackpot.
To claim your winning ticket, you should either visit or call the lottery office in the state where you purchased the ticket.
More information will be provided to you then.
The player asked for a Triple Red 777s ticket at a gas station located in Caro, roughly 30 miles east of Saginaw[/caption]
