He almost spent his jackpot on a soda: Man discovers forgotten Powerball ticket is worth $1 million - Know entire matter

While scanning the tickets, the cashier found that one of them had returned a message asking Vander Lugt to file a claim at the lottery office.

Michael Vander Lugt, a resident of Wyoming, Michigan, won $1 million in the Powerball lottery but remained unaware of his fortune for nearly two months. He had bought the winning ticket for the August 8 drawing from Big Top Market and kept it in his wallet without checking the results.

According to a UPI report, Vander Lugt discovered his unexpected win when he stopped at a convenience store to buy a soft drink. Realising that he did not have enough cash to pay for it, he decided to redeem a few lottery tickets that he believed had won smaller prizes.

"I recently stopped at the party store to get a pop but realized when checking out that I didn't have enough cash on me," Vander Lugt said. "Rather than use my card, I handed the cashier a few Powerball tickets from my wallet that I knew I had won at least a few bucks on."

Cashier's message leads to unexpected discovery

While scanning the tickets, the cashier found that one of them had returned a message asking Vander Lugt to file a claim at the lottery office.

Curious about the message, he returned to his car and checked the winning numbers for the August 8 drawing. He was stunned to realise that his ticket had matched all five white balls, making him a $1 million winner.

"She scanned each of the tickets and said one came back with a message to file a claim at the lottery office, so I looked up the winning numbers for that drawing when I got in my car. I recognized the numbers as soon as I saw them and started freaking out! I can't believe I had this ticket in my wallet for nearly two months not knowing it was worth $1 million," Vander Lugt said.

According to the UPI report, the winning numbers for the August 8 Powerball drawing were 05, 09, 35, 54 and 63. Vander Lugt's ticket matched all five numbers.

Winner plans to pay off mortgage and invest remaining money

Vander Lugt purchased the winning ticket at Big Top Market in Wyoming, Michigan.

He has since visited the Michigan Lottery headquarters and claimed his $1 million prize. The winner plans to use the money to pay off his mortgage and invest the remaining amount.

What is Powerball drawing?

The Powerball drawing is the lottery event where the winning numbers for the Powerball game are randomly selected.

How it works: Five white balls are drawn from a drum of 69 balls, and one red "Powerball" is drawn from a drum of 26 balls.

Winning: Players win prizes by matching numbers, with the jackpot going to those who match all six.

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