“Kool Breeze” of Ellicott City visited Lottery headquarters for the first time to claim a $50,000 Bonus Match 5 prize.
Winning ticket sold in June 20 drawing
A lucky Howard County man couldn’t believe his eyes last week when he scanned his weekly Lottery tickets on a ticket checker at a retailer. When he got to a quick-pick Bonus Match 5 ticket, the Ellicott City resident saw a message he had never seen before.
“The message said it was a $50,000 winner,” the 66-year-old told Lottery officials. “I didn’t believe it, so I scanned it again. The same message came up. I still didn’t really believe it, so I scanned my other tickets before checking this one again.”
The winner, who used the nickname “Kool Breeze” while claiming his prize, said he then called his wife of nearly 25 years to share the news.
“She definitely didn’t believe me,” he said.
He had to go back to work, so “Kool Breeze” put the winning ticket from the June 20 drawing in his pocket for the rest of the day. Once home, he showed it to his wife and then locked it up in a safe place.
“Kool Breeze” and his wife plan to use the prize to donate to their church, pay bills and save for retirement. “I’m also going to buy her a nice ring,” he said, smiling.
The loyal Lottery player bought the ticket at 7-Eleven #11725 on 9049 Frederick Road in Ellicott City. For selling the winning ticket, the Howard County store received a $500 bonus from the Lottery.
Bonus Match 5 drawings take place seven days a week. Players select five numbers ranging from 1 to 39. The Bonus Ball drawn from the remaining 34 numbers provides extra chances to win. Your ticket is a winner if you match five, four or three of the original five winning numbers selected in the drawing. If you match the Bonus Ball number, you only need to match four, three or two of your original numbers to win!
