Dream of lottery win leads man to buy ticket — then prize ‘amazed’ him in MD

A man was more than happy to “settle” for his third-tier lottery prize in Maryland, lottery officials said.

The Montgomery County man, who is a “once-in-a-while” lottery player, bought aPowerball ticket while stopping for gas in Gaithersburg on Aug. 16, according to an Aug. 21 news release by the Maryland Lottery.

The auto industry worker had no idea the ticket he bought would be worth a $50,000 prize, officials said.

The man’s decision to buy a ticket came after seeing his “jackpot dream” of over $600 million that the Powerball game had climbed to, lottery officials said.

“I must not have been paying attention recently,” he told lottery officials. “Imagine how your life can change with that kind of win.”

After getting home, he put the ticket on the table and didn’t look at it for almost two days, officials said.

Then, he learned of his win, officials said. His ticket matched four out of five white balls plus the Powerball, meaning he was just one number away from winning the jackpot.

“When I saw the $50,000 I was amazed,” he told officials. “The most I had ever won over the years was $20.”

The man plans to use the winnings to upgrade the family trip he plans to take soon, officials said.

Gaithersburg is about a 50-mile drive southwest from Baltimore.

This story was originally published August 22, 2025 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Dream of lottery win leads man to buy ticket — then prize ‘amazed’ him in MD."