Powerball player wins big in drawing days before retirement — and doesn’t realize

A Powerball player was planning to retire in three days when he hit a big win, the Maryland Lottery said.

But he didn’t realize until later.

The recent retiree won $50,000 in the April 27 Powerball drawing, lottery officials said in a May 17 news release.

“I didn’t realize it at the time but this was my retirement bonus,” he told lottery officials.

He said he often goes to his local tavern to buy tickets for all three of the weekly Powerball drawings, but he waits weeks to check the results.

When the Kent County man got around to scanning his ticket, he received the “Go to Lottery” message, then the clerk confirmed his win, he said.

“When I saw it was $50,000, I said ‘Oh yeah!’” he told lottery officials.

He matched four white balls and the red Powerball to land a third-tier win, one number away from the $151 million jackpot that night.

The former equipment operator said he’ll use the money for his retirement fund and to pay his bills. He told lottery officials he plans to spend more time on his hobbies, including hunting and fishing.

Kent County is on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, about an 80-mile drive east from Baltimore.

What to know about Powerball

To score a 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 May 17, 2024 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Powerball player wins big in drawing days before retirement — and doesn’t realize."