The group purchased the ticket after Wednesday’s numbers had been drawn, meaning it was only eligible for Saturday’s drawing.
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“For 20 minutes it was real”.
A video posted on YouTube captured the brief moment of bliss, showing staffers hooting and hollering for joy, believing they’d become instant millionaires.
With Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot up to $1.5-billion, co-workers have been pooling their money to buy tickets.
Problem is, the guy reading the numbers actually read off numbers from a previous drawing.
The workers from Grissini restaurant in New Jersey believed they had struck it rich on Saturday night’s draw after a mate texted them the Powerball lottery results.
In fact, after learning he had hit every number, one of the cooks tossed his apron, and quit on the spot.
Mike Devincenzi, general manager of the restaurant, said a dishwasher even quit his job following the “win”, yelling: “I’m outta here!”
Charles Povermo, 55, told the New York Post that after realising their mistake “it was like getting punched in the stomach”.
“I picked up my phone and start calling out the numbers to everyone here”, Poveromo said.
Then Poveromo called his wife, who said they should double-check the numbers.
They had the wrong day.
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It’s not clear when they realized their mistake.
