Grandpa made a mistake on his Maryland lottery ticket — but it paid off big time

A grandfather in Maryland accidentally marked the wrong number on his lottery ticket. The oversight resulted in a huge win, officials said.

The man, an 80-year-old resident of Anne Arundel County, uses lucky numbers taken from birth dates when playing the lottery, according to an April 5 news release from the Maryland Lottery.

He has been playing the state lottery for nearly half a century, and he and his wife typically purchase tickets daily.

Recently, his wife bought a Pick 5 ticket from an Exxon gas station in a Baltimore suburb, lottery officials said.

Instead of marking 95420 — his lucky number — he mistakenly chose 85420 without noticing.

Then, when the winning numbers were announced March 28, he became upset when 85420, not 95420, was the winning number.

After closely examining his ticket, however, he spotted his lucky mistake, revealing he had won $50,000.

“When I looked at the 8, I went from this real low to a real high,” he told the Maryland Lottery. “I said, ‘This can’t be right.’ Seeing an 8 was unreal.”

Since his lucky number didn’t end up bringing him good fortune, he credits his success to another lucky charm: his wife.

“She’s my lucky person,” he told the Maryland Lottery. The pair have been married for over four decades.

The man plans to use his winnings to pay bills, lottery officials said.