Washington, D.C. – Moises Zelaya of Northwest Washington, D.C. is a $200,000 POWERBALL winner!
That’s because every week he plays POWERBALL and HOT LOTTO®. However, as a top flight bellman for a major Washington, D.C. hotel, Zelaya is a very busy worker and sometimes forgets to check his bet slips following each drawing. Such was the case for the POWERBALL drawing on Saturday, November 3, 2007, when the jackpot was an estimated $61.2 million.
“I just picked some numbers, bought 3 tickets, but didn’t check them for weeks. One night I dreamed I had some money. I awoke and wondered, ‘Did I win some money?’ Then, I checked my pockets and found the tickets.”
After checking the numbers with a D.C. Lottery agent, Zelaya discovered he had just missed being a multimillionaire by one number, but he had matched all five of the white balls to win $200,000! He claimed his prize a month later on December 3, saying, “I’m happy. I intend to pay for my children’s education. I have two little ones.”
The 48-year-old hotel worker also says he will put some cash away for his retirement.
