“Proud Granddad” of Prince George’s County ended up with two identical tickets for the Aug. 20 Powerball Double Play drawing, which doubled what would have been a $500,000 win to $1 million.

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

Talk about a happy accident.

A Prince George’s County man’s forgetfulness turned into a million-dollar payday when he accidentally bought a second-tier winning Powerball ticket, Maryland Lottery officials announced.

The retiree — who went by the name “Proud Granddad” to claim his prize and stay anonymous — wasn’t sure if he already had a ticket for the Wednesday, Aug. 20 Powerball drawing. 

So, just to be safe, he bought another on Aug. 18 that covered three drawings with the Double Play option.

That move made him $500,000 richer.

But then came the kicker: he already had the same numbers, based on family birth years, on a ticket he bought on Aug. 12 — also with Double Play.

“I played it and I forgot I played it,” he told lottery officials on Aug. 26.

The result? Two second-tier Double Play wins. Two $500,000 prizes. A cool $1 million total.

“To look her in the eye and say I had a $500,000 win was good. It was really good to say I had a million!” he said of breaking the news to his wife. “It’s truly an unbelievable moment!”

The couple had been on a trip during the Aug. 20 drawing, according to Lottery officials. 

He checked the results while away and knew he had at least one half-million-dollar win, but kept the second ticket in the back of his mind until returning home.

When he finally found it, his wife got an even bigger update.

Now recently retired, "Proud Granddad" said he and his wife plan to help out their children and grandchildren. And he’s not quitting the game anytime soon. 

“That was Powerball," he mused. "Maybe Mega Millions is waiting.”

The winning tickets were purchased at two different spots: Landover Hills Exxon (6579 Annapolis Road in Landover) and A-1 Laundromat (6818 Riverdale Road in Riverdale). 

Each business gets a $1,000 bonus for selling the winners.

Meanwhile, the Powerball jackpot is still climbing — now sitting at an estimated $950 million (cash option: $428.9 million) for the Aug. 30 drawing.