Maryland college grad wins $1m from Powerball

• A frequent lottery player tried his luck with Powerball, purchasing a ticket from a store he often visits
• The winner’s mom told him that a $1m ticket was sold at the same location, but the fortunate player didn’t believe he had won such a life-changing prize before checking his ticket
• The jackpot from Powerball is one of the largest in the history of the game

A university graduate was surprised to learn that his Powerball ticket made him a millionaire.

The winner initially didn't believe he held the $1m Powerball ticket but admitted to feeling ecstatic once learning the good news.

Matching five brings $1m to fortunate college grad

Recently, an Anne Arundel County, Michigan man decided to try his luck with Powerball.

As the game jackpot was significant, he purchased tickets from a store he frequently visits.

The man's Powerball tickets were bought at Royal Farms at 1558 Annapolis Road in Odenton.

The winner, whose identity wasn't publicly disclosed but he chose the nickname "Powerball Bulldog," after his school mascot, initially didn't know that he scored a million-dollar prize.

The Bowie State University graduate received a message from his mother, who knew that he often plays Powerball and usually purchases tickets at the Odenton store.

However, the lucky man said in an interview with an official from the Maryland Lottery that he always enters the left side of the store and his mother sent him a photo from the right side of the store, where the $1m Powerball ticket was sold.

As "Powerball Bulldog" couldn't recognize the store from that particular side, he initially thought that he wasn't the winner and told his mom it wasn’t him.

A few days later, the fortunate university graduate decided to check his tickets and received a message saying: "Go to Lottery."

He was intrigued by the message and decided to check the ticket again at a retail location.

Once he had done that, he realized that he had become a millionaire after scoring a $1m tier-two prize from Powerball's drawing on July 28.

"I was ecstatic. I am that person who won," the fortunate player said.

The $1m Powerball prize winner explained that he will use some of the winnings to pay bills.

Powerball jackpot inches closer to $1bn

The jackpot from Powerball survived on Monday and continues to grow.

The top prize is estimated to hit $975m for the game's next drawing on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

The cash option for the jackpot, if won on the next drawing, is $422.3m.

As the top prize survived for more than 40 draws, it has become one of the largest in the history of the game.

Image credit: Pixabay.com