Harrisburg petrol pump fails to print – so he buys a Powerball ticket and wins $2 million
When a Harrisburg petrol pump refused to print Bram Dunehew's receipt, the Concord college student went inside Sam's Mart, bought a $3 Powerball ticket – and matched five white balls for a $2 million win.
A broken petrol pump printer in Harrisburg, North Carolina, just made Halloween one student’s favourite holiday.
According to UPI Odd News (5 Nov 2026) and WCNC (updated 5 Nov), Concord college student Bram Dunehew filled up at Sam’s Mart on N.C. 49 the day before Halloween. The pump failed to print a receipt, so he walked inside the shop – and while he was there, bought a $3 Powerball ticket with Power Play.
Stock photo: a US petrol pump (Colorado, Nov 2022) – not Sam’s Mart in Harrisburg. Photo: Colin Venable / CC BY-SA 4.0.
AI illustration – the receipt that never printed; not the real Harrisburg pump.
The Halloween draw matched all five white balls. With Power Play 2X, the $1 million base prize doubled to $2 million. WCNC notes the odds of matching five white balls at about 1 in 11.6 million.
AI illustration – jackpot energy at the shop counter; not the real Sam’s Mart.
“It’s crazy because I never would have even bought that ticket if the receipt printed outside,” Dunehew said. Halloween is now his favourite holiday, and a portion of the winnings is headed toward buying his father a Cadillac.
AI illustration – spot the tiny gorilla in glasses if you can.
Best broken pump ever? Possibly – at least for one Concord student who only went inside for a receipt.
