Retired engineer scores huge lottery win with help of trusty spreadsheet in New Mexico

A retired aerospace engineer won the New Mexico Lottery and it wasn’t his first time, officials said.

The Albuquerque resident won a $3 million Mega Millions prize, according to a June 2 news release from the New Mexico Lottery.

The winner won $200 a couple years ago on two tickets after “the clerk accidentally printed two of the same sets of numbers,” lotto officials said. Before that, he won $31,000 in Las Vegas.

The lucky retiree and math fanatic uses an online spreadsheet to keep track of his favorite numbers, the release said. When he checked the numbers online, “he knew he’d won.”

He would’ve won $1 million but after “he purchased Megaplier for an extra dollar,” his prize money tripled, lotto officials said.

The man who recommends to “always use the same numbers and never change your numbers” plans to use the winnings toward his home, investments and to share with his family, the release said.

This story was originally published June 2, 2023 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Retired engineer scores huge lottery win with help of trusty spreadsheet in New Mexico."