A retired Prince George’s County man accidentally turned an already impressive Powerball Double Play win of $1 million to actually be worth $2 million, having bought two Powerball tickets with the same numbers for the August 20 drawing—an experience to which the retiree gave absolutely no regard until it dawned on him.
The mistake ticket purchase
On August 18, the anonymous winner chose the nickname of ‘Proud Granddad’ in claiming his prize and implicitly deferring to the winner not wishing to be known. The Powerball drawing was looming, and he was doubtful as to whether he had bought a ticket yet, so he went ahead to buy a new Powerball ticket for the Double Play option.
He picked a series of numbers that correspond with the birth years of his children and grandchildren. But two days before, on August 12, he purchased a ticket with the exact same numbers at Landover Hills Exxon in Landover, also with Double Play.
After returning from an out-of-state trip, he finally decided to find out whether he had hit it big. On scanning the first of the two tickets, the scanner indicated a $500,000 win for matching the first five of the white balls in the Double Play drawing. “To look her in the eye and say I have a $500,000 win was good”, he said about telling his wife.
The split in $1 million
No more holding on to the second ticket; he then scanned that: there it was-the big double win. “I played it and I forgot I played it,” he said on claiming both amounts on August 26, to the lottery officials. Thus, he has two second-tier wins, ultimately giving him $1 million, something he called “really an unbelievable moment!”
All retailers who sold winning tickets shared a $1,000 reward from the Maryland Lottery for their role in this case of rare luck.
Reactions and plans for the earnings
The retiree and his wife, who have recently entered the bracket of individuals with plenty of free time, aim to help their extended family with the newfound riches, especially the children and grandchildren. “He was proud of it, but it wasn’t much considering what it’s supposed to be,” said “Proud Granddad” as he intends to continue with the game. That was Powerball; maybe Mega Millions is waiting”.
Lottery officials also took the time to commend the winner as being responsible enough to check his tickets and urged other players to monitor their entries closely so that they will not miss out on potential life-changing prizes.
Understanding Powerball double play
Powerball Double Play, launched in 2021, allows individuals to add another draw of the same numbers 30 minutes after the main Powerball event. For an extra $1 per play, tickets become eligible for both drawings-offering a second chance at prizes ranging from $7 to $10 million. Read this article for a better understanding, What is the difference between a $2 and a $3 Powerball ticket?
- Cost: $2 for a standard Powerball ticket, plus $1 for Double Play.
- Drawing schedule: Main Powerball drawings occur Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 pm ET; while Double Play drawings follow at approximately 11:30 pm ET.
- Prize tiers: Double Play offers nine levels of prizes, with second-tier awards (matching five white balls) paying $500,000.
This case sums up one of the most outstanding stories in Double Play for recent Maryland Lottery history, showing that forgetfulness can sometimes be very lucrative.
