National

10 lottery players win life-changing prizes across US. ‘Had to calm myself down’

Stories by Real-Time News journalists, with AI summarization

A man couldn’t believe his eyes when he checked his Lucky for Life ticket after waking up at 2:30 a.m. A Maryland grandfather’s persistence finally paid off after decades of using the same "non-winning" numbers in Bonus Match 5. Meanwhile, a Georgia player narrowly missed a $133 million Powerball jackpot but still walked away with a $50,000 prize.

Read the stories below.

A Michigan man woke up at 2:30 a.m. and checked the winning lottery numbers to learn that he was a big winner. He thought he was dreaming. Photo by Michigan lottery

NO. 1: LOTTERY WINNER THOUGHT HE WAS DREAMING AFTER CHECKING NUMBERS AT 2:30 A.M. IT WAS REAL

“It really was hard to know if I was dreaming or if I had really won big because it was the middle of the night,” he told Michigan officials. | Published May 7, 2024 | Read Full Story by Kate Linderman

A Mega Millions ticket sold in California matched five numbers to win $943,692, just missing the $421 million jackpot. Vladimir Sukhachev Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 2: MEGA MILLIONS PLAYER WINS NEARLY $1 MILLION IN CALIFORNIA. WHERE WAS LUCKY TICKET SOLD?

The winning ticket matched five numbers but not the Mega Ball, lottery officials say. | Published May 22, 2024 | Read Full Story by Don Sweeney

The winning ticket just sat chilling in a drawer for months. Photo courtesy of Michigan Lottery Connect news release

NO. 3: LOTTERY TICKET SAT IN DRAWER FOR MONTHS BEFORE MAN REALIZED IT WAS WORTH MILLIONS

The Michigan scratcher sat “collecting dust” for months, lottery officials said. | Published May 23, 2024 | Read Full Story by TJ Macias

A woman who paid $50 for a lottery ticket started screaming and running around the store when she won $1 million, NC officials say. Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 4: GRANDMA OF 13 WAS ‘HOLLERING AND RUNNING’ IN STORE AFTER LIFE-CHANGING NC LOTTERY WIN

The ticket cost $50. | Published May 29, 2024 | Read Full Story by Mark Price

A Maryland man’s faithful set of lottery numbers finally paid off. Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 5: GRANDPA’S FAITHFUL LOTTERY NUMBERS FAILED HIM FOR DECADES — UNTIL NOW. ‘ABOUT TIME’

“I jumped up for joy,” the Maryland man said. | Published June 10, 2024 | Read Full Story by Daniella Segura

Donna Smith, pictured with her fiance Calvin Blackwood, hit the jackpot in North Carolina. N.C. Education Lottery

NO. 6: LOTTERY PLAYER TRUSTS GUT AND WINS LIFE-CHANGING NC JACKPOT. ‘HAD TO CALM MYSELF DOWN’

The prize winner “could barely contain her excitement.” | Published June 20, 2024 | Read Full Story by Simone Jasper

Heeding her intuition, a Maryland woman took a “rare trip” to a Baltimore gas station and bought some Powerball tickets, lottery officials said. Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 7: LUCKY FEELING LEADS TO ‘FATEFUL DAY’ FOR MARYLAND LOTTERY PLAYER. ‘A BLESSING’

“Life is a gamble, and it’s good to take risks.” | Published July 22, 2024 | Read Full Story by Daniella Segura

Someone in Georgia scored a big prize in the latest Powerball drawing. How much did they win? Jerry Habraken USA TODAY NETWORK

NO. 8: POWERBALL PLAYER JUST MISSES $133 MILLION JACKPOT, BUT STILL WINS BIG PRIZE IN GEORGIA

Where was the lucky ticket sold? | Published July 29, 2024 | Read Full Story by Tanasia Kenney

A Maryland lottery player won big after listening to advice from a family member, lottery officials said. Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 9: RELATIVE’S ADVICE LEADS LOTTERY PLAYER TO A HUGE WIN. ‘IT WAS LIKE HOLDING DYNAMITE’

The Maryland lottery player said she was considering a different game, but her relative had a game plan, according to lottery officials. | Published February 11, 2025 | Read Full Story by Natalie Demaree

A Wisconsin truck driver passing through Virginia purchased a pair of lottery tickets and won a top prize on the second ticket, lottery officials said. Getty Images/iStockphoto

NO. 10: TRUCK DRIVER BUYS LOTTERY TICKET OVER 800 MILES FROM HOME — AND WINS ‘BIG ONE’

He bought a pair of scratch off tickets and won the top prize on the second one, lottery officials said. | Published April 8, 2025 | Read Full Story by Natalie Demaree

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.