Winning part of a $1.5 billion Powerball prize is a feat in itself, but the story behind a Florida teen who won one of the slightly smaller prizes is like something out of a movie.
A split-second decision made him a multi-millionaire.
There were lines out the door at Arooj Ahmed's convenience store, Sav-A-Ton, Wednesday where signs now greet customers letting them a winning ticket was sold in the store.
“The line started around 3 p.m. until the end at 10 p.m. We sold more than 5,000 Powerball tickets just yesterday,” Ahmed said.
He told stories of people coming in with jars of coins to buy Powerball tickets, some using their rent money, hoping to win big.
And one of them finally did--19-year-old Frederick Walker.
“The interesting part about this story is he found the play slip that he used to purchase the ticket with,” said Don Creley, the district manager with Florida Lottery Orlando.
Walker found a ticket someone else had already filled out.
The person who filled it out picked five of the six winning numbers, only missing the Powerball.
Walker cashed in, paying an extra dollar for Power Play, and turned $3 into $2 million.
“So, through his own luck, he’s $2 million richer today,” Creley said.
Creley said Walker went straight to Tallahassee to claim the cash.
It’s not the $1.5 billion many had wished for, but it may be one the luckiest wins anyone could dream of.
Walker told lottery officials it was his first time buying a ticket.
Sav-A-Ton will get $5,000 for selling the ticket.
