Rockville Man's $50,000 Powerball Ticket Nearly Ends Up In The Trash

ROCKVILLE, MD — A Rockville man, who has been playing lottery games since he first came to America from Greece more than 42 years ago, was so used to losing that he nearly threw out a winning Powerball ticket worth $50,000.

Each week, the man stops at the Congressional Sunoco at 1469 Rockville Pike in Rockville to buy around $40 worth of Powerball tickets.

On a recent visit, the man was scanning a pile of old tickets, all of which were non-winners, and was about to toss them away. But, after spotting "$50,000," he stopped.

Doublechecking his $10 Oct. 31 quick-pick ticket, the 67-year-old discovered he'd won $50,000.

“I have never won more than $4 before so I thought the machine was not working. I am glad that I didn’t throw it in the trash,” he said to lottery officials, when he redeemed his prize.

The Montgomery County resident plans to use his winnings to pay off some bills and invest the windfall back into his business, according to a release.