A lucky pumpkin purchase has turned into a massive windfall for a man from North Carolina. Roy Story, the fortunate winner, bought the $5 (Rs 417) Xtreme Cashword ticket at the Sun Farms store in Elizabeth City. He used $10 (Rs 835) he earned from selling a pumpkin to make the purchase.
“I raise a few pumpkins every year and sell them,” Story told UPI news. “Someone gave me $10 for a pumpkin and I used that to buy the ticket.” He selected the ticket because he said he loved “to play the crosswords.” “I play them all,” he said.
Roy Story didn’t realize the extent of his lottery win at first. “I didn’t have my glasses on,” he said, thinking he had won $1,000 (Rs 83,500). It wasn’t until later that he discovered he had hit the jackpot. Story plans to invest his winnings in a new truck.
His win comes as part of a streak of significant lottery prizes across the country. Recently, a woman from Frederick County, Maryland, won $500,000 (Rs 4 crore) from a Powerball Double Play ticket. Overwhelmed, she reportedly felt “in shock” and “couldn’t breathe,” according to the Mirror.
“It doesn’t feel real. I like the numbers that came out. I am just so grateful,” she said. She intends to use her winnings to buy a new home and set aside money for her children’s college education.
A Maryland woman, a dedicated Powerball player since 2021, bought her winning ticket at the Wawa store on Urbana Pike. As a reward, the store received a $1,000 (₹83,500) bonus. This win marks the sixth Double Play ticket to hit the jackpot in Maryland this year, with the largest prize so far.
In a similar case, Jose Duran, a 62-year-old from West Palm Beach, Florida, won a $3 million (Rs 25 crore approx) Mega Millions jackpot after spending just $3 (Rs 250) on his ticket. His numbers matched all five white balls in the April 11, 2023, draw. The ticket was purchased from Supermercados El Bodegon on Forest Hill Boulevard, and the store received a $5,000 (Rs 4 lakh) commission for selling the lucky ticket.
