After 20 years of loyalty to the same set of numbers, a US man struck gold with a ₹8 crore ($1 million) lottery win earlier in June this year.
In Massachusetts, a man named Thomas Ensko used the same set of his lucky numbers, inspired by his birthday, for two decades.
Unsure of a win this time too, Ensko bought a Mega Millions lottery ticket from Anderson’s Variety Store in Blackstone.
Thomas Ensko collected his prize money of a whopping $1,000,000 (before taxes) at the Massachusetts State Lottery headquarters in Dorchester. Notably, Anderson’s also had a reason to celebrate Ensko’s win; the store received a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
However, this isn’t his first golden run; Thomas Ensko’s wife had won $1 million with an instant ticket over 20 years ago.
Here’s what Thomas Ensko plans to do with the mega win; Ensko, according to news reports, plans to share his newfound fortune with his children and grandchildren. He wants to ensure that his $1 million Mega Millions prize benefits the entire family for years to come.
What is the Mega Millions lottery?
Mega Millions participation is open in 45 states, as well as Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands, withdraws occurring every Tuesday and Friday at 11 PM ET in Atlanta, Georgia.
Only two individuals have claimed the Mega Millions jackpot this year, while hundreds of thousands have won smaller prizes, according to USA Today.
In March, a participant at the New Jersey station hit the jackpot, winning $1.13 billion. Then in June, a fortunate player from Illinois managed to snag $552 million.
The current lottery jackpot stands at an estimated $800 million. Should a lucky player win, they could take home a lump-sum payment of approximately $404.2 million after tax deductions, according to the lottery officials.