A man’s lost lottery ticket has netted him a cool USD 1 million – but only after it was found by his wife.
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The couple – from Waynesville, North Carolina, USA – had lost track of the USD-2 (GBP-1.60) ticket and did not even realise they were winners.
But winner Terry Peace said: “My wife found it in her pocketbook.
“I guess when she initially reached in to check the tickets she just missed that one.”
Terry, 65, hopes his winnings – worth GBP 817,000 – will allow him to retire early. He said: “This is life-changing.
“How many people really win a million dollars.”
Terry, whose odds of winning were given by lottery officials as one in 11.6 million, said: “I’ve always had good luck. I always told people, ‘I know I have the luck to win.'”
After tax, Terry took home USD 712,501 (GBP 582,000).
He added: “We just can’t put into words how happy we are and how appreciative we are.”
In a statement obtained by Newsflash, North Carolina Education Lottery said: “A forgotten ticket at the bottom of a purse became a $1 million Powerball win for Terry Peace of Waynesville.
“Peace, 65, does renovation work on homes. He said winning this prize could lead to an early retirement.
“Peace bought his $2 ticket for the Jan. 4 drawing from I Market on Barber Boulevard in Waynesville.
“Peace’s winning ticket matched numbers on all five white balls in the drawing. The odds of matching all five white balls are 1 in 11.6 million.
“He claimed his prize at lottery headquarters Wednesday and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $712,501. Peace said he wants to put some money aside for his grandchildren, put some in savings, and buy a Ford F-150 truck.”