8 lottery wins inspired by dreams, pets or birthdays
by Jessica Inman · UPIDec. 19 (UPI) -- Some lottery winners say their lucky numbers have found them after having dreams about winning big. Others have landed large prizes after using numbers that are significant to them.
Here are eight times players have found success after receiving guidance from their intuition in one way or another.
North Carolina man predicts his win
Robert Hoban might have bought a Quick Pick ticket for a Cash 5 drawing, but his dreams still seemed to predict the outcome.
He said that the night before he learned the good news, he dreamed he was going to win.
"It's strange because I even dreamed the exact amount I won," he said.
His family didn't believe that his dreams predicted his $110,000 prize, but he insists they did.
Washington, D.C., man's win follows loss of mom, dog
Tommy M. said that he had a dream he was "going to be a millionaire" before landing his $1 million Powerball prize in April.
He'd been buying tickets from Wisconsin Avenue's Tenley Market for decades before having the dream that turned out to be true.
The good news followed a series of hardships. Tommy M. said he had recently lost both his mother and his dog.
A gut feeling led to a North Carolina man's win
In another case, a dream led a player to purchase the winning ticket after a strong gut feeling.
Ricky Nunnery Jr. bought a scratch-off lottery ticket after having a dream that told him he would "hit big on the lottery."
"Something just told me to play today," he told North Carolina Education Lottery officials following his July win.
Maryland woman receives winning lottery numbers in a dream
A woman living in Prince George's County said she dreamt of her Pick 5 lottery drawing numbers before buying a Pick 5 ticket from Oxon Hill's Zip In Mart.
She said she nearly forgot to play the numbers that resulted in a $50,000 prize.
"When the Midas touch comes, hopefully, you're on it and thankfully we were," her husband said.
Mom's birthday numbers inspires Maryland woman's pick
Elsewhere in Maryland, a Frederick County woman was inspired by her mother to select the winning combination that earned her $50,000.
"I've been thinking about my mom recently," she said. "More so than I usually do. It gave me the idea to use some numbers from her birthday for my Pick 5 numbers."
She said she was going between joy and doubt when she learned that the choice led to her win at the Damascus Carroll Fuel.
Washington, D.C., man wins playing license plate numbers in Maryland
Similarly, a Washington, D.C., man played numbers he saw on a license plate while in Maryland.
"My sister-in-law knows that I play in D.C., but said to me, 'You need to play in Maryland,'" he told Maryland Lottery officials.
He took her advice, and when he saw the license plate numbers matched the start of his cell phone, he played them as his picks.
The choice won him $50,000.
Ohio man says his dog's license number was the lucky combination
Roger Sours said he played two different number combinations when he stopped by the Tiffin Pit Stop in 2024, but it was his German shepherd's license number that won him $50,000.
He said when watching the announcement on television, he froze.
"I just couldn't believe that it hit," he said.
A golden retriever wins a scratch off in Guangdong, China
In Guangdong, China, a woman won $139 after her dog ran off and found a scratch-off ticket while they were out shopping.
The woman was told to pay for the damaged ticket, which wound up being worth$139.
At least a portion of the winnings went to treats and food for the golden retriever.
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