Man Wins $1M Lottery After 20 Years Playing Same Numbers

You can say this for Iowa's latest million-dollar lottery winner: Rob Winburn is consistent.

"Robert Winburn won $1 million in Saturday's drawing. He says he's been playing the same numbers for the last two decades," KCCI reports.

WOI-TV explains that "He opted not to do a public news conference, but did share his number-picking secret with us. He uses the corresponding numbers in his last name."

For more than 20 years, Winburn, from Urbandale, waited for his system to pay off.

For instance, one of the winning numbers on Saturday - 23 - corresponds with the "W" in Winburn. But instead of the number 18 for "R," Saturday's Powerball was a 3, Daily Mail reports.


Winburn said he didn't even know a big ticket winner was in his area. "I put the first three (tickets) in and no win. Then (the winning) one came up. I just kind of glanced at it."

He told the Iowa Lottery what happened next in an off-camera interview.

"I did a double take,' Winburn said. "I did tell the guy next to me, 'I don't believe this.' He leaned over and I did it again, and he says, 'Sign it and get the hell out of here!'" (Via Iowa Lottery)

If Winburn had matched the Powerball, he would've won the $330 million jackpot. We doubt he's disappointed. He told lottery officials the most he's ever won with his system was $100.