I thought I had won $100 on the lottery – I was stunned when my real prize was 50 TIMES bigger after I misread the rules

A father was stunned to learn his $100 lottery win was actually 50 times that – because he misunderstood the rules.

He won the top prize of $100,000 in the purse multiplier game, Maryland lottery officials said.

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For the third time, 30-year-old Alonzo Butler got lucky, having recently won $10,000 twice.

And it all stemmed from a last-minute decision to buy a scratch card in his hometown of Cumberland, northwest of Baltimore.

The delighted dad said he’s started scratching off part of the ticket he bought at a local Sheetz store and is feeling “pretty good.”

Because the more he scratched, “the more matching numbers came.”

Butler matched one number that netted him $50,000 and initially assumed the other matching number would result in another payment of just $100, officials said.

However, he later found that the win was $100 multiplied by 50.

He said he was overjoyed when he finished 41st on the $10 ticket for $50,000 and 8th for another $5,000.

Next he reached number 19 for $20,000 and number 58 for a win of $25,000.

Butler told lottery officials that he “went from feeling pretty good to almost uncontrollable excitement.”

And he was so shocked by the result that a cold pack had to be placed on his back to calm his nerves – and to keep his leg from shaking.

Butler collected his winnings from lottery headquarters on August 2nd.

He revealed he’ll be spending the money on his kids, ages three and six, adding, “I’m only going to invest it on my kids.”

Butler also attributed his impressive victory to following a family tradition.

“There are a few players in my family – me, my mother and my grandma,” said the winner.

And luck runs in the family as his grandma has won $50,000 in the past.

“It’s just something I enjoy. I come home from work and scratch off a few of these. I inherited it from my grandma,” Butler said.

Officials at the Maryland Lottery said, “Alonzo’s luck also extends to the store where he bought the winning ticket.”

“Sheetz #051 at 210 Greene Street in the Cumberland store will receive a $1,000 bonus from the lottery, equal to one percent of the price, for the sale of a top prize scratch card of $100,000. “