Lottery player loses his mom and dog. Then he wins dream jackpot in DC

Having a difficult time since the death of his mother, a frequent lottery player took a visit to a Washington, D.C., store he has frequented for decades.

As he shopped at Tenley Market, the lottery player tried his luck with the Powerball game ahead of the March 26 drawing.

His reasoning for picking up a Powerball ticket was simple — he had a dream he would become rich overnight.

“I lost my mom and my dog within a short time frame. But, I had a dream just the other day,” the man told DC Lottery officials in an April 2 news release. “It told me I was going to be a millionaire.”

Odds weren’t exactly in his favor. Winning $1 million — the second-best prize in Powerball — has lopsided odds of 1 in 11,688,053.

But with an estimated jackpot of $483 million for the March 26 drawing, the man tried his luck anyway.

He’s sure glad he did.

“Here it is. It’s real!” the winner told lottery officials after winning a $1 million prize.

He matched all five white balls — 5-20-29-39-53 — to win the big prize, becoming the second $1 million winner at Tenley Market since 2014.

The winner now has “plans to treat himself to a well-deserved vacation,” he told lottery officials.

He’s grateful the win occurred at Tenley Market, which has been his go-to shop for several decades.

“As regular players, we’re all familiar with one another,” he said. “We talk about what numbers came out, who won — and this time, it’s me!”

This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 1:14 PM with the headline "Lottery player loses his mom and dog. Then he wins dream jackpot in DC."