School bus driver playing same lottery numbers for 20 years wins $2M
by Sommer BrokawSept. 14 (UPI) -- Playing the same lottery numbers for nearly 20 years finally paid off for a 73-year-old school bus driver who won $2 million.
James Dippold, 73, of Vero Beach, claimed the $2 million prize from the Powerball drawing held Aug 26, using a secured drop box at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee, a statement said.
Dippold said he has played the same numbers for nearly two decades, and now that it's worked, he plans to to retire and buy a muscle car that he has wanted since returning from Vietnam in the 1960s.
Dippold purchased the winning ticket from a 7-Eleven at 1400 State Road A1A in Vero Beach, according to a statement. The ticket matched all five of the white ball numbers, but did not match the Powerball number.
The 7-Eleven store will receive $5,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Powerball ticket.
Florida Lottery headquarters and district offices were closed at the time to help protect employees and players during the COVID-19 pandemic, so players were encouraged to use the secure drop box located at each district office or mail tickets to the headquarters or their nearest district office.
On Monday, the Florida Lottery announced that beginning Tuesday, offices would reopen to the public in limited capacity for prized valued at $5,000 or more.
Appointments will be offered Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST, with the first hour of each day, reserved for players 65 and older and those with serious underlying medical conditions.