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A District Heights dad saved a $50,000 Powerball ticket from an untimely demise in the washing machine, proving that sometimes laundry day can really pay off.
Eric Cotton, a father of two and truck driver, had just bought four quick-pick Powerball tickets from Kaywood Liquors in Mt. Rainier for the Nov. 6 drawing, but the tickets didn’t find a home on the fridge or a safe drawer—instead, they ended up in his pants pocket, dangerously close to disaster.
“My girlfriend is notorious for not checking pockets before doing the laundry,” he explained. So when he saw her loading the washing machine, he had a eureka moment: those tickets were likely still in his jeans.
Cotton sprang into action, fishing out the tickets just moments before the first spin cycle began, Lottery officials said.
With disaster averted, he grabbed his phone and the Maryland Lottery app, ready to check his luck.
The first three tickets came up empty. But the fourth? That was a different story.
“I looked back at her and she said, ‘What’s wrong?’” the lucky winner recalled. That’s when he broke the news: one of the tickets was a $50,000 third-tier winner. It matched four of the five white balls and the Powerball number in the drawing, which had a $75 million jackpot.
While he’s a regular at Kaywood Liquors and a seasoned player of Powerball, Mega Millions, and scratch-offs, Cotton admitted he only plays when the jackpots climb above $50 million.
With his windfall, Cotton plans to save most of his prize to buy a house for his family of four. He also has some immediate plans for the cash—making sure his daughter has an extra special birthday celebration.
It’s safe to say that Eric Cotton won’t forget to check his pockets anytime soon.
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