Lottery player’s uncle hit jackpot in the 1980s. Now he’s won a big prize of his own

A man was visited by lottery luck after following in his uncle’s footsteps, Maryland officials said.

The winner’s late uncle won $1 million in the 1980’s, according to an Aug. 23 news release by the Maryland Lottery.

The winner was left “inspired” and continued playing the same numbers his uncle played, officials said.

Then, the man won $50,000 with a Powerball ticket he bought in Edgewater, officials said.

“I saw that I won $50,000 on the screen. It was the first thing that popped up,” he told officials.

Although the numbers that won in the Aug. 7 Powerball drawing weren’t those of his uncle’s from back in the day, he “still credits his uncle for looking out for him from above,” officials said.

Instead, the man won after the $18 ticket matched the four white balls and the Powerball, officials said.

The man still hasn’t figured out how he plans to spend the money, officials said.

“This was very surprising,” he said in the release.

Edgewater is about a 30-mile drive south from Baltimore.

This story was originally published August 23, 2024 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Lottery player’s uncle hit jackpot in the 1980s. Now he’s won a big prize of his own."