5 of the oddest ways lottery winners have won their prizes

A cat picked the lottery winning numbers and won the owner $527. It's just one of the crazy ways lottery winners have grabbed their prizes Photo: Silver Lotto

There are many stories about lottery winners losing their tickets and then miraculously finding them again, or winning on Friday the 13th.

But how about these lucky winners who got their wins in some very strange ways? Let’s dive right in…

Dumpster Diving Lottery Store Manager

The store went overboard to help out! Larry Peabody (center) and wife Mary (left) lost their lottery ticket. It was found by store manager Dena Thompson (right) Photo: Composite

When Larry Peabody handed his wife Mary a lottery ticket for safekeeping because the amount was too high for the store to cash it, the $1200 winning slip ended up in the dumpster.

Mary had left it on the counter where it was accidentally put into the Lucky Spot store’s trash.

When they retraced their steps to try and find it, store manager Dena Thompson volunteered to search the dumpster.

“We went through everything and we just brought all the trash in,” Thompson said.

After a long search, she had success and the grateful pair were reunited with their ticket.

Stolen Credit Card Bought $ 5 Million Winning Ticket

Thief got a real win from stolen credit card Photo: Stock

In 2013, a man in New York won a $5 million lottery jackpot with a ticket he purchased using a stolen credit card.

He was eventually caught and sentenced to prison. (File photo)

Fortune Cookie Makes 199 Winners Over $100,000 Each

All the prep work they've done has paid off for 199 fortune cookie consumers Photo: Compilation

A fortune cookie lucky number message revealed the winning combination in a Powerball game to 199 players.

It helped 110 second-prize winners to get $176,000 each, and a further 89 players won $100,000 each in the same game.

Although some foul play was suspected, the cookies, made by Wonton Food Inc. of Long Island City, New York, actually gave the correct numbers for the 2005 game.

Unlikely Mega Millions Buyer Hit By Lightning

Bill got lucky - with lightning! Photo: Supplied

Kansas man Bill Isles bought three Mega Millions lottery tickets, saying he was more likely to be hit by lightning than win a prize. It turned out to be exactly right.

The 48-year-old Wichita man was struck by a bolt of lightning in the backyard of his home after buying the tickets. He didn’t win anything.