A lucky mistake made one Massachusetts man an overnight millionaire.
Paul Corcoran, who took home $2 million in prize money, mixed up the dates of the final drawing for a ticket he purchased, leading him to purchase another (winning) multi-draw ticket featured in the same drawing.
Corcoran, a Fitchburg resident, told the Massachusetts Lottery that he “initially bought a ticket for seven Powerball drawings and mistakenly thought the final drawing on that ticket had already occurred,” hence the impulse purchase.
One of the winning tickets was purchased at a grocery store in Fitchburg, while the other was purchased at a gas station five miles away, in Leominster.
According to a news release from the Massachusetts Lottery, he won the two $1 million Powerball prizes after the first five numbers printed on the tickets matched those selected in the drawing.
“Both Powerball tickets matched all five white balls drawn that night – white balls 5, 9, 25, 28, 69 and red Powerball 5 – resulting in Cocoran winning two $1 million prizes,” Powerball said in a statement.
Winner feels ‘good,’ but unsure what to do with fortune
Corcoran, who claimed his small fortune on July 11, two days after the drawing, told the Massachusetts Lottery that while the wins felt “good,” he was not sure how he was going to spend the money.
According to Powerball, the overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9, and the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
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What is the Powerball jackpot today?
As of July 17, the estimated Powerball jackpot is $288 million with a cash value of $130.6 million. The next drawing will take place at 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT on July 19.
How to play Powerball
You can’t win if you don’t play, but seriously, to play Powerball, you must purchase a $2 ticket. You can do this at a variety of locations, including your local convenience store, gas station, or even grocery store. In some states, Powerball tickets can be bought online.
Once you have your ticket, you need to pick six numbers. Five of them will be white balls with numbers from 1 to 69. The red Powerball ranges from 1 to 26. People can also add a “Power Play” for $1, which increases the winning for all non-jackpot prizes.
The “Power Play” multiplier can multiply winnings by: 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X.
If you are feeling unlucky or want the computer to do the work for you, the “Quick Pick” option is available, where computer-generated numbers will be printed on a Powerball ticket. To win the jackpot, players must match all five white balls in any order and the red Powerball.
Powerball drawings are held on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights. If no one wins the jackpot, the cash prize will continue to tick up.
Where to buy lottery tickets
Tickets can be purchased at gas stations, convenience stores or grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Must be 18+, 21+ in AZ and 19+ in NE. Not affiliated with any State Lottery. Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY); 1-800-327-5050(MA); 1-877-MYLIMIT (OR); 1-800-981-0023 (PR); 1-800-GAMBLER (all others). Visitjackpocket.com/tos for full terms.
Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man mistakenly buys extra Powerball ticket, wins $2 million
