Forgetful Mega Millions Winner Collects $800K Prize
Wednesday June 22nd 2016A Mega Millions winner has claimed a prize of $802,153 after forgetting that she had bought a ticket. Maureen Wilson from Temecula, California, bought a ticket for the drawing on Tuesday March 1st, but failed to check her numbers until May 12th. News of her win came out this week after she visited California Lottery officials to claim her prize.
Maureen discovered that she was the winner of the large sum of money when she called at the Arco AM/PM in Poway on May 12th, the very same gas station that she had purchased her ticket from months earlier. The 58-year-old noticed the Mega Millions ticket in her purse and decided to have it checked by the assistant who informed her that she had matched five main numbers, but not the Mega Ball, and was the winner of a very handsome six-figure sum. By matching just one more number, Maureen would have claimed a jackpot worth $130 million.
Prior to the drawing, the Californian had only purchased her Mega Millions ticket by chance after handing over a dollar to the assistant and requesting that they chose a lottery game at random. Maureen revealed to lottery officials that she doesn’t usually experience good fortune, saying that “I don’t have any luck, so I figure maybe the person choosing [the game] may have the luck.”
The win comes as a blessing for Maureen, a quality engineer, as she often works on short-term contracts and has had to pinch her pennies for years. This win will certainly help cover her expenses and boost her savings, but the prize winner is first planning to spend some of her windfall on a trip to Wimbledon.
If you’d like to become a Mega Millions winner like Maureen, Friday’s jackpot is estimated to be worth a stunning $363 million. To stand a chance of securing this life-changing prize, tickets are available to buy online or from any authorised retailer throughout the U.S. Good luck!
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