ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

Dad in financial distress takes orange juice back to shop. He returned with a $315 million surprise

The man from New Jersey who was looking to save a few bucks, didn't know what luck had in store for him.
UPDATED 13 HOURS AGO
Cover Image Source: Getty Images-  GoodLifeStudio (Representative)
Cover Image Source: Getty Images- GoodLifeStudio (Representative)

Back in 2018, a man from New Jersey went to return some orange juice and walked out with a lottery ticket that won him $315 million. Tayeb Souami, who was just following his wife's instructions and trying to save some money, became the sole winner of the Powerball jackpot, that year. Souami's story of finding fortune is incredibly heartwarming. 

Powerball tickets await players at Cumberland Farms convenience store | Getty Images | Photo by William Thomas Cain
Powerball tickets await players at Cumberland Farms convenience store | Getty Images | Photo by William Thomas Cain

Souami was heavily burdened with loans and struggling financially. The 56-year-old accountant was still paying off his student debt and supporting his daughter through college as well.  

Souami and his wife had refinanced their house for their expenses. They also decided to save every penny they could, even on things like groceries, The Washington Post reported.

This is why when Souami came home with $5 bottles of orange juice. His wife told him to return them. She had found out that they were on sale for $2.50 at another local store and wanted to take advantage, he said at the press conference after collecting his prize. 



 

While the savings were small and returning the juice was a hassle, Souami didn't argue and went to return the items.

When Souami went up to the customer service counter, the Powerball lottery sign caught his eye, specifically the prize number of $306 million. "I like the number," he said he thought to himself when he decided to buy two tickets with the cash he got after returning the orange juice.

While purchasing the lottery tickets led to no savings, it did change the couple's lives forever.  For one of the tickets, Souami picked the numbers 3, 6, 9, 17, 56, and 25 for the Powerball. He quietly pocketed the tickets and went home. The next day, Souami planned to take his car for a wash.

While driving to the car wash, he stopped at a traffic signal and noticed a 7-Eleven store. That's when he was reminded of the tickets, so he went in to check if he had won something.

 A customer at a 7-Eleven store checks the numbers on his Powerball lottery ticket | Getty Images | Photo by Scott Olson
A customer at a 7-Eleven store checks the numbers on his Powerball lottery ticket | Getty Images | Photo by Scott Olson

While the first ticket scanned as a no-winner, the scan of the second ticket read “must be seen by the retailer”. Thus, Soaumi took the ticket to the cashier and told them that the machine may not be working. 

However, when the cashier scanned the ticket, the first response was "Oh my god!", Souami recalled. She kept repeating and when Souami asked, she simply said "Big". That's when he learned that he had just won the $315 million Powerball jackpot.

He was shell-shocked and it took him two hours to get home as his hands were shaking too much. Souami told the reporters at the press conference that when his wife asked him what took him so long he started crying and showed her the lottery form. Souami chose to take the lump sum amount and received $183 million in cash.



 

After winning the lottery Souami quit his job and made plans to use the money, Good Morning America reported. He shared that the first thing he wanted to do was pay off his student loans, and his house and pay for his daughter's college tuition for the next year.

This article originally appeared 1 month ago.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
In the video, another friend can be heard gasping and noting how she thought that Maddie was 'exaggerating.'
1 hour ago
The man from New Jersey who was looking to save a few bucks, didn't know what luck had in store for him.
14 hours ago
In 2004, Ashley Revell from London won $270,000 in one of the most stunning events in gambling history.
18 hours ago
One of the rarest Rolex watches in the world was kept in a safety deposit for decades, unworn.
21 hours ago
The "Rolling Stones" singer said leaving a part of the inheritance might "do some good in the world."
22 hours ago
Inititally, reports claimed that it sold for $1.8 million which changed as the the dust cleared up.
1 day ago
The number was so large that it didn't even fit on a single line on the document.
1 day ago
Her new properties were estimated to be worth around $50 million.
1 day ago
He sued the lottery company for breach of contract, gross negligence and the infliction of emotional distress among other claims.
1 day ago
As of 2024, the iconic West Coast rapper is worth well over $160 million.
2 days ago
Taylor never knew he had won because the slot machine had malfunctioned.
2 days ago
"People were super welcoming and everyone wanted to have a coffee with me," she talked about the residents.
2 days ago
“It’s challenging, being an inventor,” Catherine Hettinger said.
2 days ago
The Facebook listing from is a contender for the weirdest rent agreement in history.
2 days ago
The "Bullet Train" actor made an unusual arrangement with the old widower.
3 days ago
He found the gold coin from the "world's most valuable shipwreck."
3 days ago
The man even promised that he would make them $96 billion in profits.
3 days ago
She has starred in classic films such as "Sixteen Candles", "The Lost Boys", and "Twister".
4 days ago
There are ways to claim dependents for certain people in your life, including your boyfriend. The IRS has four factor that must be met. We have all the details.
4 days ago
Following the incident, Brad Pitt's representative has issued a warning to all fans.
4 days ago