An engineer, going by the alias Philly Jawn, forgot about a lottery ticket he bought in Maryland and later found out he had won $50,000.
On his way from Pennsylvania to Maryland on June 4, the Philadelphia man chose to stop at Woodlawn Mart in Baltimore County for some snacks and lottery tickets, according to People.
He was cleaning out his car over a week later when he came upon the bag of lotto tickets he was about to discard.
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However, before discarding the tickets, he checked the Maryland lottery app and realized he had won the Powerball ticket. The award was a total of $50,000.
He was just one number away from winning the $30 million Powerball jackpot after taking home the third-tier reward.
“I was ecstatic when I realized I won,” he told the Maryland Lottery site. “I hope this is the first of many wins.”
Philly Jawn admitted that he had been playing the lottery for the past four years. He explained that he usually chose numbers that have personal meaning, like the birthdays of family members.
He revealed that, in spite of the sentimental strategy, he hasn’t informed his family of the good news. Yet, he confessed that he is too enthusiastic to keep it a secret for much longer.
He is planning on using the money to pay off bills and save the rest.
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In Maryland, lottery income is the state’s fourth-largest source of revenue, trailing only income taxes, sales taxes, and corporate taxes, according to the Maryland State Archives. About 60% of the lottery’s ticket sales revenue is returned to players as prize money. Approximately 3% goes toward operating costs, and 7% goes toward retailer commissions. The General Fund of the State Treasury receives the remaining 25% of State Lottery proceeds, which are used to fund government initiatives in the areas of education, public health, safety, and the environment.
