Winner returned home with more than just memories

By Kate Northrop

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A Tennessee resident left his vacation in Maryland much richer after buying a lottery ticket in the state and winning a $100,000 Powerball prize.

One Tennessee man was visiting Maryland for the holidays and knew he couldn't miss out on participating in a drawing for a huge Powerball jackpot while away from home.

Over the winter holidays, the Powerball jackpot had reached an astounding $1.8 billion for the Dec. 24, 2025 drawing. The Tennessee man, who was a former Maryland resident, knew he couldn't pass up an opportunity to try and win.

"I saw the jackpot and said to my family, 'Let's get a ticket'," the player told the Maryland Lottery.

He purchased a ticket at Dash-In on Riva Road in Annapolis, but by the time he had thought to check his numbers, he had already left Maryland. He sensed a return trip might have been in order when he scanned his ticket and received a "Go to Lottery" message.

He called his brother and asked him to read off the numbers for the Dec. 24 Powerball drawing, which were 4, 25, 31, 52, and 59, with red Powerball number 19.

Much to his delight, the casual lottery player had matched four regular white ball numbers plus the red Powerball number, earning him the game's $50,000 prize.

"I said to my brother, 'I think I won!'" he recalled to Lottery officials.

He mentioned to Lottery staff that he was a little frustrated he was one number short of winning the $1.8 billion jackpot, but at least he could say that his Power Play purchase for an extra dollar paid off.

Since the drawn multiplier that night was 2, he doubled his $50,000 third-tier prize to $100,000.

He claimed his prize at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore on Monday and said he already has plans for his winnings.

"I'm going to give some away and will try to keep some for myself," the real estate agent said.

The next Powerball annuity jackpot estimate for the drawing on Wednesday, Feb. 11 currently stands at $126 million.

Powerball is currently offered for sale in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.

Powerball lottery results are published within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com). The USA Mega website provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States' two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball.