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Man checks lottery ticket during ‘boring’ work call — and has to hide his excitement

A man checked his lottery ticket during a "boring" work call and found out he won.
A man checked his lottery ticket during a "boring" work call and found out he won. Photo by Dylan Nolte via Unsplash

A man found out he won a big lottery prize and had to hide his excitement because he was on a “boring” work call, Maryland officials said.

He had bought two Powerball tickets while stopping for gas on his way home from work but then forgot about the tickets until the next week, the Maryland Lottery said in an Oct. 18 news release.

Then while on a work call, he scanned the tickets on his phone and discovered he was a third-tier $50,000 winner, officials said.

“I was able to keep it to myself,” he told lottery officials as he grinned. “I did a good job containing my emotions.”

His winning numbers were picked Saturday, Oct. 5. They were 2, 12, 46, 52 and 65, and the Powerball was 3, officials said.

The man loves to fish and plans to buy a new fishing rod, then use the rest of the money for home improvement projects, officials said.

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.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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This story was originally published October 21, 2024 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Man checks lottery ticket during ‘boring’ work call — and has to hide his excitement."

Brooke Baitinger
McClatchy DC
Brooke Baitinger is a former journalist for McClatchyDC.
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