National

7 times lottery players tried their luck — and won big prizes. See the stories

Stories by Real-Time News journalists, with AI summarization

Lottery players test their luck every day. A Maryland woman’s broken down car led her to delay replaying her Keno To Go tickets, but the wait ended with a $50,014 win. In North Carolina, a man took a random shot and bought a $2 Hot 50s Fast Play ticket, scoring $121,399.

Take a look at the stories below.

A woman got Keno To Go tickets from a bar in Maryland and ended up winning a big prize. Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 1: WOMAN’S BROKEN DOWN CAR HELPS HER WIN BIG LOTTERY PRIZE IN MARYLAND. ‘LOOK AT THIS!’

The woman and her husband were “so surprised.” | Published May 30, 2024 | Read Full Story by Helena Wegner

The man said he didn’t believe the app he used to verify his win was correct, Ohio lottery officials said. Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 2: LOTTERY PLAYER GETS ‘CONGRATULATIONS’ MESSAGE IN GAMING APP AND WON’T BELIEVE IT. ‘NAH’

The cashier “scanned it and ... screamed,” the winner told Ohio lottery officials. | Published May 31, 2024 | Read Full Story by Lauren Liebhaber

Kyle Brogden bought his winning lottery tickets at the Murphy Express in Oxford, which is about a 50-mile drive north of Raleigh. Street View image from Oct. 2022. © 2024 Google

NO. 3: WIFE REFUSED TO FALL FOR HUSBAND’S NC LOTTERY PRANK — BUT HE WAS TELLING TRUTH

It’s tough not to believe when he suddenly had all that money. | Published June 4, 2024 | Read Full Story by Mark Price

A North Carolina man “randomly” bought a $2 lottery ticket at this Food Lion in Mocksville and he won a six-figure prize. Street View image from June 2015. © 2024 Google

NO. 4: MAN ‘RANDOMLY’ BUYS $2 LOTTERY TICKET AND WINS BIG IN NC. ‘JUST A SHOT IN THE DARK’

"Oh my ... this is happening,” he said. | Published June 12, 2024 | Read Full Story by Mark Price

A Maryland woman won $50,000 in the June 22 Powerball drawing after she used extra cash on hand to buy a ticket, lottery officials said. Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 5: POWERBALL PLAYER BUYS TICKET WITH $4 AND WINS BIG. THEN FRIEND KEEPS TICKET SAFE

The Maryland mom said she hid the ticket at her friend’s home until she could claim her prize. | Published July 4, 2024 | Read Full Story by Olivia Lloyd

A lottery player scored a huge windfall in North Carolina. N.C. Education Lottery

NO. 6: LOTTERY TICKET SOLD IN NC IS WORTH $25,000 A YEAR FOR LIFE. WHERE DID WINNER BUY IT?

Here’s what we know about the big win. | Published November 15, 2024 | Read Full Story by Simone Jasper

A man won big after buying a $10 scratch-off, Maryland Lottery officials said. Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 7: LOTTERY PLAYER LANDS THIRD BIG WIN WITH $10 SCRATCH-OFF IN MARYLAND. ‘EXTREMELY HAPPY’

“This time, it’s going into my house. The stock market’s not so good these days.” | Published March 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Paloma Chavez

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.