Lottery charm: US man becomes millionaire twice in one day
What's the story
In a rare stroke of luck, Paul Corcoran from Fitchburg, Massachusetts, won $2 million after buying two identical Powerball tickets for the July 9 drawing. The twist? He bought them from two different stores. Both lottery tickets matched the five white balls that were drawn (5, 9, 25, 28 and 69), earning him $1 million per ticket before taxes.
Ticket twist
Simple mistake turns into double fortune
Corcoran had initially purchased a multi-draw Powerball ticket for seven games. However, thinking the last drawing had already happened, he bought another seven-draw ticket from a different store just minutes later. This simple mistake turned into his fortune as both tickets matched all five white balls drawn on July 9.
Store bonus
Where the winning tickets were bought
The winning tickets were bought from a Market Basket supermart in Fitchburg, and a Country Farms convenience store in Leominster. Both shops will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the $1 million winning ticket. These are also the first Powerball tickets worth $1 million that have been sold in Fitchburg and Leominster.
Plans
No immediate plans for his winnings
Corcoran has been playing the same random numbers "for quite some time." He claimed his double prize at the Massachusetts State Lottery's headquarters but has no immediate plans for his winnings. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 292.2 million. The next drawing is today with an estimated jackpot of $308 million.