A Maryland truck driver came close to losing a $1 million Mega Millions prize—twice—without realizing he had won.
The lucky player, from Anne Arundel County, regularly buys lottery tickets once a week, trying different games each time. He consistently plays Mega Millions and struck gold in the October 15 drawing by matching all five white ball numbers, earning the second-tier $1 million prize. He missed the jackpot by just one number—the gold Mega Ball.
The odds of winning the $1 million prize are roughly 1 in 12.6 million.
Despite his usual habit of carefully checking tickets before buying new ones, a household distraction interrupted his routine the week of the win. “While I was comparing my tickets to the winning numbers, I had to stop to take care of something,” he told Maryland Lottery officials.
When he resumed, he thought he had finished reviewing all the tickets. The next morning, while dropping off a family member at work, he mentioned that none were winners and planned to throw them away.
Luckily, the family member offered to double-check the tickets using her lottery app. She scanned the $2 quick-pick Mega Millions ticket and discovered the win. As the driver began to pull away, she ran after his car, waving her arms to stop him.
“I thought something was wrong when I saw her in the rearview mirror,” the player recalled. “But when I saw her smile, I knew it was good news.”
He now plans to use the prize money to buy a new home and car for his family.
The winning ticket was purchased at Check Cash Depot on 16th Avenue in Brooklyn, Maryland, just six miles from Baltimore. It was the third $1 million Mega Millions ticket sold in the state in 2024.
Lottery officials stress the importance of checking tickets thoroughly, as billions of dollars in winnings go unclaimed each year.
Another unclaimed $1 million Mega Millions prize remains, with one ticket sold at a gas station and another at a popular supermarket. Players are urged to check their tickets—someone may already be a millionaire and not know it.
