A man from Philadelphia unexpectedly won $50,000 after discovering a forgotten Powerball ticket while cleaning his car, according to officials from the Maryland Lottery.
The man, whose identity has not been made public, had purchased the winning ticket on June 4 from a retailer in Baltimore County while travelling. More than a week later, while tidying up his vehicle, he came across the ticket tucked away and decided to check its numbers.
To his surprise, the ticket had matched enough numbers to secure a $50,000 prize — one of the game’s top secondary winnings.
An engineer by profession and described as a frequent traveler, the winner told lottery officials that the discovery left him “overjoyed.” He said the find was completely unexpected and credited it to “a stroke of luck during routine cleaning.”
He further expressed hope that the win would mark the beginning of many more to come.
While stories of lost or forgotten lottery tickets are not uncommon in the United States, this incident has served as a reminder to players to double-check their slips before discarding them. Maryland Lottery officials confirmed the win and noted that the ticket was claimed before its expiry.
The Powerball is one of the most popular lottery games in the U.S., often offering jackpots that climb into the hundreds of millions. Smaller prizes such as the $50,000 windfall are won by matching several — but not all — of the drawn numbers.
