In a remarkable twist of luck, a Massachusetts man won $2 million after unknowingly purchasing two identical Powerball tickets for the same drawing, from two different stores.Paul Corcoran, from Fitchburg in north-central Massachusetts, originally bought a multi-draw Powerball ticket for seven games in the run-up to the July 9 draw, CNN reported. However, thinking the final draw on that ticket had already taken place, Corcoran picked up another seven-draw ticket just minutes away from the first store, inadvertently including the same July 9 draw twice.That simple mistake turned into a fortune.According to the Massachusetts State Lottery and Powerball, both of Corcoran’s tickets matched all five white balls drawn, 5, 9, 25, 28, and 69, earning him $1 million per ticket before taxes. He missed the full $217 million jackpot by just one number, the red Powerball 5.Corcoran told officials he has been playing the same set of random numbers “for quite some time”. He claimed his double prize at the Massachusetts State Lottery headquarters, though said he has no immediate plans for the winnings.The tickets were purchased at two locations: a Market Basket supermarket in Fitchburg and a Country Farms convenience store in nearby Leominster. Both retailers will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling a $1 million winning ticket.According to the lottery office, these were the first $1 million Powerball wins ever recorded in Fitchburg and Leominster, CNN reported.The odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot stand at a staggering 1 in 292.2 million. The next drawing is scheduled for 21 July, with an estimated top prize of $308 million.
