Megaplier feature triples prize in Feb. 2 drawing
A loyal player from Baltimore who goes by the nickname “Uptown” told Lottery officials he’s “over the moon with joy” after winning $30,000 on a quick-pick Mega Millions ticket.
The retired contractor visited Woodlawn Shell located at 6600 Security Boulevard in Baltimore on Feb. 2 to buy his Lottery games. He typically purchases two Pick 4 tickets, two Mega Millions tickets and two scratch-offs that are new games. He said he won $5,000 in the past with this combination of games and stuck to this practice. He added the Megaplier to the Mega Millions tickets, too, and went on his way.
When he first compared one of the Mega Millions tickets to the winning numbers in the Feb. 2 drawing, “Uptown” realized he matched four numbers and the Mega Ball for a third-tier prize. At first, he assumed it was “too good to be true.” He scanned the ticket several times for confirmation and was shocked to see he indeed won $30,000. His prize tripled because of a 3X Megaplier! “Uptown” rushed to his car, signed the back of the lucky ticket and sped home to put the ticket in a safe until he could claim his prize at Lottery headquarters.
Asked what he plans to do with his prize, the winner quickly replied, “I plan to pay off my house!” “Uptown” had checked the balance left on his home mortgage last week and prayed he could pay it off before the end of the year. This “blessing” will allow him to do that. He also plans to split any funds remaining between his savings account and his church.
No one hit the jackpot in the Feb. 2 drawing and Mega Millions is still on a roll. The estimated jackpot annuity is $394 million for the Feb. 9 drawing. The cash option is estimated at $188.5 million.
