‘Unusual message’ stuns lottery player checking his ticket. ‘Must be something good’
A Maryland man running errands at a grocery store decided to check his lottery ticket.
Tim Todd then got an “unusual message” when he scanned his $15 Mega Millions quick-pick ticket, which he usually folds in half and tucks away “in his wallet for good luck,” Maryland Lottery officials said in a Sept. 25 news release.
Upon seeing the message for the Sept. 3 drawing — “Go to Lottery” — Todd grew anxious, lottery officials said.
“I said ‘This must be something good,’” Todd recalled to lottery officials.
Todd couldn’t wait; he brought his ticket to the store clerk, who informed him he had won $40,000.
Todd added a Megaplier feature to his ticket, which quadrupled his $10,000 prize, according to lottery officials.
“I do it all the time,” Todd said. “It’s more money that you can win.”
Additionally, Todd said he likes to play five lines on his tickets, which goes against his wife’s request that he only play one.
“I was happy when I won on the third line,” Todd told lottery officials.
The 52-year-old Huntingtown electrician told officials he plans to use some of his winnings to pay bills, but he’s unsure how he will spend the rest.
Huntingtown is about a 55-mile drive south from Baltimore.
What to know about Mega Millions
To score the jackpot in the Mega Millions, a player must match all five white balls and the gold Mega Ball.
The odds of scoring a jackpot prize are 1 in 302,575,350.
Tickets cost $2 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary by state.
Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This story was originally published September 27, 2024 at 2:38 PM with the headline "‘Unusual message’ stuns lottery player checking his ticket. ‘Must be something good’."
