World

Wyoming Man Wins $1 Million Powerball Ticket After Forgetting It in Wallet

By Livemint

Michael Vander Lugt of Wyoming, Michigan, won $1 million in the Powerball lottery but did not realize his win for almost two months. He purchased the winning ticket for the August 8 drawing at Big Top Market and kept it in his wallet without checking the results. According to a UPI report, Vander Lugt discovered the prize when he stopped at a convenience store to buy a soft drink. Realising he did not have enough cash, he handed the cashier a few Powerball tickets he believed had won smaller prizes. The cashier scanned the tickets and found that one had a message asking Vander Lugt to file a claim at the lottery office. Curious, he returned to his car and checked the winning numbers for the August 8 drawing. He was stunned to see that his ticket matched all five white balls, making him a $1 million winner. The winning numbers for that drawing were 05, 09, 35, 54 and 63. Vander Lugt has since visited the Michigan Lottery headquarters and claimed his prize. He plans to use the money to pay off his mortgage and invest the remainder. The Powerball drawing selects five white balls from a drum of 69 and one red Powerball from a drum of 26; matching all six numbers wins the jackpot.