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A man from Massachusetts, US, became a millionaire twice in one night after accidentally buying two identical Powerball tickets for the same draw, CNN has reported.
Paul Corcoran from Fitchburg won $1 million from each ticket in the July 9 Powerball draw. He told lottery officials he had been playing the same random set of numbers “for quite some time”.
According to Powerball and the Massachusetts State Lottery, Corcoran had first purchased a multi-draw ticket covering seven upcoming games. But he mistakenly believed that ticket had expired before the July 9 draw.
Thinking he had missed his chance, he bought a second multi-draw ticket just minutes later at a different store which also included the July 9 draw. That ticket ended up matching the same five white balls, 5, 9, 25, 28 and 69.
The only number he missed on both tickets was the red Powerball, number 5. Matching five white balls without the red Powerball wins a $1 million prize before taxes.
“I’ve been playing those numbers for quite some time,” Corcoran said when claiming his winnings at the Massachusetts State Lottery headquarters, according to a lottery spokesperson speaking to CNN.
The two stores where Corcoran purchased the winning tickets Market Basket in Fitchburg and Country Farms in Leominster will each receive a $10,000 bonus.
This is the first time Powerball tickets worth $1 million have been sold in either Fitchburg or Leominster, according to state lottery officials.
Corcoran said the win “feels good,” but added he hasn’t yet decided what he will do with the money.
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. The next draw is on July 21 with an estimated jackpot of $308 million.
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