FITCHBURG, Mass. (WWLP) – A Massachusetts resident won two $1 million Powerball prizes in the same drawing after mistakenly buying an extra ticket last week.
The lucky lottery player, identified as Paul Corcoran of Fitchburg, had initially purchased a multi-game ticket — which was good for seven upcoming drawings — at a local supermarket. But less than a week later, he purchased another multi-game ticket from a gas station, mistakenly thinking that his initial ticket was outdated.
When the July 9 Powerball drawing came around, Corcoran was actually holding two valid tickets. And both were winners.
“He won the two prizes after the first five numbers on his tickets matched those selected
in the drawing,” a release for the Massachusetts Lottery explains.
Corcoran has since collected his winnings, but told Massachusetts Lottery officials on July 11 that he did not yet have plans for the money.
The jackpot for the Powerball drawing on July 9, was valued at $217.1 million. There were no grand-prize winners, but six other tickets were winners of the second-tier $1 million prize, including two in California, two in Illinois, one in Florida and one in Nebraska.
The next Powerball drawing is scheduled for July 19. The estimated jackpot is over $288 million.