Maryland man's 'last second' decision earns $50,000 prize
A Maryland man's 'last second' decision earns a $50,000 Powerball prize after he nearly skipped buying a ticket while filling his gas tank at the Sykesville Convenience Store on Sandosky Road in Carroll County. He changed his mind just in time for that evening's drawing.
The player told Maryland Lottery officials that Powerball popped into his mind while he waited for his tank to fill on June 15. It was a Powerball night, and that is the lottery game he plays most often. Split-second choices with big payoffs often show up in our Bizarre News & Florida Man coverage, where ordinary errands turn extraordinary.
Key Takeaways
- A Carroll County man won $50,000 in Powerball after nearly skipping a ticket purchase while getting gas.
- He bought the ticket at the last second at Sykesville Convenience Store on Sandosky Road.
- He first thought a lottery scanner was broken when it told him to take the ticket to lottery officials.
- A clerk at a second store confirmed he had won a major prize worth $50,000.
- The ticket was a third-tier Powerball winner from that evening's drawing.
How did a 'last second' decision lead to a $50,000 win?
According to UPI, the Carroll County man was gassing up his vehicle on June 15 when he remembered it was Powerball night. "As I was waiting for the tank to fill, I remembered that it was a Powerball night — and Powerball is the game I play the most," he said.
He initially talked himself out of buying a ticket at the Sykesville Convenience Store. Then he reversed course. "At the last second, I parked at the convenience store and went in. I was so close to just leaving," the player told lottery officials.
That impulse stop produced a $50,000 third-tier winning ticket for that evening's Powerball drawing.
Why did the winner think the lottery scanner was broken?
The man scanned his ticket a few days after the drawing and was unsure whether he had won anything. The machine displayed a message instructing him to take the ticket to the lottery.
"I thought the machine was broken," he explained.
Instead of celebrating on the spot, he pocketed the ticket and tried scanning it again the next day at another store. A clerk there explained what the message actually meant — he had won a big prize.
What happened when he learned the prize amount?
When the clerk confirmed the win, excitement mixed with disbelief. "I was excited when she told me that, but I didn't fully believe it," he said.
Once he verified the ticket was worth $50,000, the moment fully hit him. "I tried to shout, to say anything. It just wouldn't come," he recalled of learning the exact amount.
The Maryland Lottery shared his story as a reminder that a routine gas stop can turn into a life-changing night with one last-second choice.
Where was the winning Powerball ticket purchased?
The winning ticket came from the Sykesville Convenience Store on Sandosky Road in Carroll County. The man was simply fueling up when the idea to play Powerball crossed his mind.
Had he driven away as he originally planned, that $50,000 prize would never have been his. Instead, his last-second decision to park and walk inside made all the difference.