Powerball player narrowly misses jackpot, but wins life-changing prize in Washington
A lucky lottery player checked a forgotten Powerball ticket and was stunned to see a life-changing prize of $1 million.
The high Powerball jackpot of $408 million initially caught the man’s attention, so he bought a ticket for the Oct. 16, Washington’s Lottery said in a Nov. 25 news release.
He forgot about his purchase for a few days, lottery officials said.
But when he remembered, he checked his ticket online and had five matching numbers.
He would have hit the jackpot if he matched one more number, but he still won $1 million, the game’s second-biggest prize, lottery officials said.
“Overwhelmed with excitement and disbelief, he called Washington’s Lottery to confirm his win,” the lottery office said in the release.
The lottery player then shared the news of his big win with his sister.
He claimed his ticket a few weeks later on Nov. 8, lottery officials said.
Now, he has plans to invest his money and use some on “self-care and travel to spend quality time with family.”
Lottery officials did not say how much the jackpot was worth during that drawing.
Orcas Island is part of San Juan Islands, southwest of Bellingham.
What to know about Powerball
To score the 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 can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price 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 November 25, 2024 at 3:17 PM.
