Massachusetts Man Wins $2 Million Twice in One Night: A Powerball Miracle.

 Published: July 22, 2025, 05:45 PM WAT

In a stroke of astonishing luck, Paul Corcoran, a resident of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, has become the talk of the town after winning $2 million in the Powerball lottery—twice in a single night. The incredible story, first reported by Dexerto on X, unfolded on July 9, 2025, when Corcoran accidentally purchased two tickets with the same winning numbers (5, 9, 25, 28, 69, Powerball 5) due to a mix-up with an expired multi-draw ticket. With odds of approximately 1 in 11.7 million of winning $1 million per ticket, according to Powerball’s official statistics, this double victory defies the odds and has left lottery enthusiasts speechless.Corcoran’s windfall came after he forgot he had already bought a ticket, only to discover later that both entries matched the winning combination. The 63-year-old, pictured holding his oversized $2 million check, expressed feeling “good” about his unexpected fortune, as noted in a follow-up post by Dexerto. The images shared on X—showing the winning ticket and Corcoran’s celebratory moment—have since gone viral, sparking a wave of reactions ranging from awe to envy.This isn’t the first time such a remarkable lottery tale has made headlines. The incident echoes a 1999 case in the UK, where Michael Carroll reenacted a lottery win for a TV segment and ended up winning again on camera. While the odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot stand at 1 in 292.2 million (per the Multi-State Lottery Association), these rare events highlight how chance and human error can occasionally align to create lottery legends.However, the reality of taxes looms large for Corcoran. Massachusetts imposes a 5% state tax on lottery winnings, and with federal tax rates reaching up to 37% for high earners, his net amount could drop to less than $1 million after claims. Historical data from the Tax Foundation suggests that large lottery wins typically lose 40-50% to taxes, a sobering reminder for the newly minted millionaire.As the story continues to unfold, Corcoran’s luck serves as both inspiration and a cautionary tale about the financial complexities of sudden wealth. For now, the Massachusetts man’s accidental triumph remains a feel-good distraction in an otherwise unpredictable world—proof, as Dexerto aptly put it, that “fate works in million-dollar ways.”Credit: This story was initially reported by Dexerto on X.