When your luckÂ's in, your luckÂ's in. A man in Washington has won just over a quarter of a million dollars spread over two scratchcards, in a 24-hour period.

Carry Collings, 61, scratched off a winning ‘Red Hot 5sÂ' ticket to win $55,555 on the 14 June and, while on his way to collect his winnings the next morning, bought another ‘Bring on the BensÂ' card which also won a staggering $200,000.

Collings lives in Puyallup – a small town in Washington state named after the Puyallup Tribe of Native America – which is said to mean ‘the generous peopleÂ', but it remains to be seen whether Collings will be generous with his new cash.

It has been reported that he will spend the money on clearing debts and will continue in his job at the Boeing Auburn plant.

Bruce Archer