What is it about surprise winners and near misses when it comes to the lottery? 

From a mistaken lottery ticket purchase to a surprise T.V. broadcast, there have been two accidental lottery winners in the past week alone.

In South Carolina, a couple recently won $200,000 from a Palmetto Cash 5 drawing ticket that was purchased on August 9th at a 3 Way Food Mart in Aiken. 

But they almost didn’t claim their prize. 

The couple only learned about their lottery jackpot when a spot on their local TV news reported that someone had won a $200,000 prize and had yet to come forward. 

“Wow, I wondered if that could be me,” the wife recounted to South Carolina Education Lottery officials, before checking her ticket to reveal the 5 perfectly matching numbers. 

Meanwhile, in Maryland, U.S.A, a man has won $580,000 from a mistaken lottery ticket purchase. 

The man, from Upper Marlboro, had intended to buy some Cash4Life tickets at a Campus Way Exxon petrol station in Upper Marlboro. The attending clerk, however, mistakenly sold him the wrong tickets. 

Retelling the story to Maryland Lottery officials, the man recalled, “the attendant made a mistake and gave me a Multi-Match ticket instead. I was like, ‘Oh, a new guy.’ He was so apologetic.” 

Deciding to accept the Multi-Match ticket, the man discovered, in an amazing stroke of luck, that he had won a $580,000 prize a few days later. 

The money will go to good use, with the couple stating they will be able to pay off their child’s college loan and start a new family-run healthcare business to focus on helping geriatric patients.