Ohio Man Plays the Long Game, Wins $3.5M Jackpot

A man from Ohio has won the recent Classic Lotto jackpot, taking home a seven-figure prize. What made the victory so sweet, however, is the fact that it was 22 years in the making.

The Winner Had Been Picking the Same Numbers for 22 Years

According to the Ohio Lottery’s official announcement, the man in question won his life-changing prize through sheer stubbornness. Officials explained that he had been playing the exact same numbers for a whopping 22 years.

To top it all off, the Ohioan was a regular player who continued to buy Ohio Lottery tickets regularly via a friend even after he became a snowbird. The winner, who described himself as a stubborn person, elaborated that he’d give a friend money to buy tickets on his behalf when he was out of town.

While the numbers previously yielded him a couple of smaller prizes, the player’s favorite combination finally ended up paying off as he won the $3.5 million Classic Lotto jackpot. The windfall came from the fateful February 4 drawing, revealing the winning combination and, by extension, the players’ favorite numbers, as follows: 6, 8, 16, 20, 26, 45.

The lottery added that the winning ticket was sold at MAPCO #1929 located at 997 Brown St. in Akron, which will get a $1,000 incentive bonus for selling the ticket.

The Man Plans to Buy a Big House with a Pool

In an interview with the lottery, the man said that he yelled when he recognized the winning numbers as his preferred combination and immediately told his wife that they were going to get a “really big pool.”

The man then hopped on a plane to visit his house, pick up the ticket, and redeem it. When visiting the lottery HQ, he opted to take the $1.7 million cash option. After taxes, he took home $1,281,875.

After his win, the man decided to officially retire. He noted that he plans to spend the money on a big house with a home gym and, of course, the big pool he promised his wife.