Two Florida women beat extraordinary odds by each winning $4 million Mega Millions cash prizes on the same day, in the same town, and at stores less than half a mile apart.
Reana Mahaney, 60, and Megan Chora, 40, of Largo, Florida, likely strangers to one another, both became millionaires after purchasing their winning tickets at Publix grocery stores.
Lottery officials and Google Maps reveal that the stores where these lucky tickets were purchased are only 0.3 miles apart—a short seven-minute walk.
Chora purchased her ticket at the Publix located at 10500 Ulmerton Road in Largo, while Mahaney bought hers at the Publix at 10411 Ulmerton Road. Each store received a $5,000 bonus commission.
Mega Millions: An unusual win
The drawing took place on June 11, with Chora redeeming her ticket on October 30 and Mahaney following on November 5, according to officials.
Both tickets matched all five white ball numbers in the popular Mega Millions lottery, though neither matched the Mega Ball, according to Florida Lottery officials.
This secured each woman a runner-up prize of $1 million, but by spending an additional dollar for the Megaplier, they quadrupled their winnings.
Chora was the first to claim her prize on October 30, with Mahaney following on November 5, according to lottery officials.
A rare coincidence but not unheard of
The odds of winning a second-tier Mega Millions prize are one in 12,607,306, according to Mega Millions, though such rare coincidences—like the two wins in Largo—aren’t unheard of.
In June, two winning tickets for a Mega Millions jackpot valued at $395 million were sold at the same Chevron gas station in Encino, California. One of the winners, F. Lahijani, claimed their half of the prize on June 25.
The retailer earned a $987,500 bonus for each ticket sold, totaling over $1.9 million—marking the highest bonus ever awarded to a single retailer in California Lottery history.
California Lottery spokesperson Carolyn Becker remarked, “This was only made possible by the fact that the same store sold two jackpot-winning tickets over two separate transactions. This has never happened before, and we want to congratulate the owners of this particular retail location!”
The extraordinary luck of both Mahaney and Chora highlights just how unpredictable the lottery can be and reminds players that sometimes lightning does indeed strike twice.