Wrong Ticket, Right Numbers: Ohio Man Wins $50K

A simple mix-up turned into a $50,000 surprise for one Ohio man — and he didn’t even mean to play that game.

Ron from Malaga, Ohio walked into Walmart planning to buy a Mega Millions ticket. He’d been on a little lucky streak lately — winning a few 50/50 raffles and even pocketing $500 during the Super Bowl. His brother-in-law had been talking about playing too, so Ron figured, why not?

But here’s the twist:
He accidentally bought a Pick 5 ticket instead.

When he scanned the ticket, he was stunned. He had matched all five numbers in the February 5 evening drawing. The odds? 1 in 100,000.

At first, he thought there had to be some kind of mistake.
The clerk quickly shut that down:
“There’s no mistake. You won $50,000!”

After taxes, Ron took home $36,625. His wife — usually the lucky one in the family — couldn’t believe it. Now he plans to:

• ? Spoil his grandkids

• ? Donate to his church

• Enjoy the unexpected win

Meanwhile, another Ohio player proved that persistence really can pay off.

A man who had been playing the lottery for 22 years straight finally hit big, winning a $3.5 million Classic Lotto jackpot in the February 4 drawing.

He calls himself “stubborn,” and honestly, that stubbornness worked. Even after becoming a snowbird and spending part of the year in warmer states, he never broke his routine. He budgeted about $10 a month for tickets. If he was out of town, his best friend would buy the tickets for him so he wouldn’t miss a drawing.

That dedication paid off.

When the numbers were announced — 6-8-16-20-26-45 — he instantly recognized them. After memorizing combinations for over two decades, he didn’t even need the ticket in hand to know he’d won.

He yelled the news to his wife and immediately remembered a long-standing promise:

“We’re getting a really big pool!”

Two different stories.
One accidental ticket.
One 22-year commitment.