Ohio Man Finds $100,000 Lottery Ticket While Dumpster Diving

One Ohio man found out the hard way that sometimes you really do need to check the trash twice.

A lottery player in Willard, Ohio, had the scare of a lifetime after realizing he accidentally tossed out a scratch-off ticket worth a jaw-dropping $100,000.

The lucky winner had bought the ticket at a Circle K gas station in the small town, but his celebration nearly turned into disaster when the jackpot-winning slip ended up in the garbage.

By the time he realized what happened, the trash had already been taken out.

That is when things got messy.

According to the Ohio Lottery, the man had no choice but to go dumpster diving to recover the ticket — and it turned out to be one of the smartest dirty jobs he will ever do.

“He ended up having to dumpster-dive to retrieve it,” the Ohio Lottery said. “It was definitely worth it because it was a $100,000 winner!”

The man, who has not been publicly identified, quickly became the talk of Willard, a town of roughly 6,000 people.

A Circle K employee told The New York Post that customers have been buzzing about the win — and many people were stunned to learn who hit the jackpot.

“Nobody believes it was him,” the employee said. “He is an avid lottery player, and they can’t believe he actually won. They’re like, ‘No way!’”

After taxes, the winner walked away with $73,250.

That may not be the full $100,000 prize, but it is still a massive payday — and more than enough to make a trip into the dumpster worth every second.

In fact, the after-tax winnings are about $25,000 more than the median annual household income in Willard, according to Census data.

Not bad for something that nearly ended up buried in the trash.