PERRY HALL, MD—A Perry Hall man won a $50,000 Powerball prize after randomly selecting a winning ticket from a bucket. The Baltimore County resident was part of a group that purchased 50 tickets on Sept. 28, placed them in a bucket, and took turns drawing them. His $2 quick-pick ticket matched four white balls and the Powerball, earning him a third-tier prize.

The man forgot about the ticket in his wallet until December, unaware of his win. He was on the phone with a member of the Powerball group when the topic of the Powerball purchase came up. After hanging up with his friend, he decided to check the winning numbers from the drawing and was shocked by what he saw.

“I matched four of the white balls and the Powerball,” he told Maryland Lottery officials. “And then, I saw how much it was worth and couldn’t believe it.”

The group decided to try their luck with Powerball on Sept. 28 when the jackpot had reached an estimated annuity of $243 million. The lucky player’s $2 quick-pick ticket yielded a surprise win in the third-tier prize for that evening’s drawing.

The man, who plans to deposit the funds in the bank and decide later what to do with his windfall, shared the news with his wife.

“She was happy and angry because she’s not a fan of Lottery play,” he said.

The group purchased all of their tickets at Nottingham Royal Farms, located at 5361 Nottingham Drive.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.