written and last updated by
Sam Smith at
18 Jul 2025
Journalist, Editorial Department
A Massachusetts resident unexpectedly became the owner of two $1 million prizes (₽78.6 million) due to a simple mistake. Confusing the date of the Powerball drawing, he purchased two tickets with the same numbers. While such carelessness usually results in a wasted expenditure, this time luck had other plans.
Paul Corcoran, who lives in Fitchburg, does not consider himself a regular lottery player. He doesn’t employ strategies or systems to increase his chances of winning by buying multiple tickets with different number combinations. Unlike those who deliberately "diversify" their risk, Paul took a different route—he miscalculated the drawing date. As a result, his oversight led to a double win.
Paul bought one ticket at a store in Fitchburg. The second was purchased at a gas station in nearby Leominster, about five miles away from the first location. He had no idea that both tickets, bought in different places, would have the exact same numbers: 5, 9, 25, 28, and 69. Although the Powerball number did not match, Paul was still able to claim $1 million (₽78.6 million) for each ticket.
In total, his winnings amounted to $2 million (₽157.2 million). Corcoran went to the Massachusetts Lottery headquarters to present his tickets, which was a significant event for the organizers. Such unusual cases, where one person wins twice in the same drawing with identical tickets, are extremely rare.
Paul noted that he initially did not grasp the magnitude of what had happened and only later realized how close he came to losing one of the tickets. He is pleased with his mistake, as it made him the protagonist of a rare occurrence in lottery history. Despite his good fortune, he remains calm and is not rushing into any plans. The winner admitted that he views the incident as a happy coincidence.
Meanwhile, a resident of Australia has also won a substantial prize in the TattsLotto lottery.
