I scooped £40,000 fortune after buying a scratchcard while claiming first prize on another ticket | The Sun

A HANDYMAN in the US has scooped a $50,000 (£40,000) prize after buying a scratchcard when he went to claim a prize on another ticket.

John Meadows, 60, had gone to Selma's Liquor and Grocery store to collect his $500 (£401) winnings when he thought he'd try his luck again.

But John – from the community of Halethorpe, in Baltimore County, in the US state of Maryland – could not believe his eyes when he scratched off a $10,000 (£8,025) win.

The handyman's luck did not end there. Once he had scratched off all the boxes, John realised he had won $50,000 altogether, equivalent to £40,068.

He explained: "I knew right away this one was something special.

"I just had to get out of there, back home where I could scratch the rest of the ticket and react the way I wanted to."

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Maryland Lottery said:  "Halethorpe resident John Meadows said he's had good fortune recently with the Lucky Times 10 scratch-off game

"But on a recent stop to Selma's Liquor and Grocery in Baltimore, he found out what 'Lottery Luck' really looks like."

They added: "When he finished the game and realized that the prizes added up to USD 50,000 [GBP 40,000], he was shocked."

John said he will use the money to pay off some bills.

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He continued:  "My perfect world goal with the Lottery was always to win a big prize like this.

 "It'll be a monumental relief to no longer owe anyone anything. Such a weight off of my shoulders."

Meadows is not the only person who has fallen on good fortune through the lottery.

A North Carolina woman won $188million in a Powerball jackpot in 2015.

Marie Holmes opted for a lump sum and took home $88million which she said would go toward a house, tuition for her children, and money for her church and travelling.

However, the first thing she spent her money on was her fiance's bail after he was accused of selling drugs.

Holmes then paid $6milllion for his bail and she appeared to hit out at critics on social media telling them: "What Y'all need to be worried about is y'all money and [not] how I spend mine.

Another couple's life changed in 1990 when they won a $13million jackpot.

However, Alex and Rhoda Toth admitted that the money "tore them apart".

The Toths wasted no time splurging their wealth on gifts, flying in private jets across the world and meeting celebrities from Oprah Winfrey to Donald Trump.

The couple spent heavily on a three-month trip to Las Vegas, which included stays in a $1,000-a-night penthouse suite at the Mirage, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Back in Florida, they purchased 10 acres of land. But a decade after their life changed, the family filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and 2002.

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Alex and Rhoda ended up owing the IRS $2.5million in unpaid taxes and were eventually charged with tax fraud in 2006.

In total, Rhoda owed the government $1.1million and her husband owed $1.4million.

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