Do the right thing and win big – Warren County scratch-off player passes on picking up a lost $100 bill, wins $1M

PHILLIPSBURG, NJ (Warren County) – A well-known saying in games of chance, “don’t touch the money,” meaning it’s bad luck to count the money on the table before the game is over, became a literal lesson for a New Jersey Lottery player on April 30 at the Phillipsburg Paul Mart.

While preparing to buy a scratch-off ticket, the player spotted a $100 bill on the store’s counter. “I see it, and I turn around. There’s a person at the ATM and two people waiting in line,” the player recalled. “I said ‘Did somebody leave this here?'” The player asked the clerk for an envelope to store the money as a lost-and-found item, with others urging them to keep it. “Everybody’s saying, ‘just keep it,'” but the player stuck to their decision, saying, “If you take something that’s not yours, you will never get your own.”

After the player made the right choice, the clerk sold them three Power 20X tickets. As luck would have it, after scratching one of the tickets, the player learned they had won $1 million, the third of the $20 game’s top prizes.

“I thought the ticket wasn’t activated, but the clerk said ‘you have the golden ticket,'” the player said, recalling the emotional moment. “I started crying and shaking. I thought if I had taken that $100 bill, I would have felt guilty and never bought the ticket. I just truly believe it was a test from God.”

With the $1 million prize in hand, the player plans to purchase a modest house and a reliable car, something that was once out of reach.