Winning the lottery is (obviously) a one-in-a-million event. Most people will never, ever, win anything more than a few dollars off a scratch-off or Powerball. But for those very lucky few, the circumstances always seem to be the most insane things ever.
And for one man, "insane" is an understatement. That's because, according to People, an Ohio man found his previously lost ticket... by dumpster diving. And while that's definitely something I might have to reconsider doing myself, he got a pretty sweet payout for it.
It was to the tune of $100,000. Lottery officials confirmed the wild incident in a press release. He ended up taking away just under $80,000 after taxes.
And that was the maximum prize of the specific lottery card he lost. Bingo Times 25 costs $5 and is only sold in Ohio. Lottery officials explained that there are seven more top prizes of $100,000 remaining in the pool.
According to GamblingNews, the garbage truck was only minutes away from arriving. I bet that must have been a very stressful trip into the garbage! Must have been worth it, though.
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Another Man Had a Similar Lucky Situation, Minus the Dumpster Diving
In an absolutely wild turn of events, another man found a pretty good stroke of fortune—except there was a lot less of a smell, I'd imagine.
A South Carolina man got the full brunt of karmic justice after he did the "right thing". He had returned a stranger's lost $500 lottery ticket.
And then a week later, he won an even bigger prize—to the tune of half a million dollars.
The man said in an interview, according to People, that "the owner was so grateful to get the ticket back that I knew I was going to hit the lottery after that. I just knew it."
That's some really special instincts there, because it only took two months to happen.
And in an even more heartwarming turn of events, he says that he's going to use the winnings to help other people. He explained, "I've been lucky in life and can use this prize to help some people. And maybe my story will encourage others to do the right thing."
