Carlos Gamez of Washington, D.C., played the date of a win in the DC Lottery in the Maryland Lottery’s Pick 5 game and won $25,000.
Anniversary, win date of DC5 game, license plate combine for a big prize
Aug. 25, 2024 was a lucky day for Carlos Gamez, a Washington, D.C. resident who enjoys playing the Lottery in his home territory as well as in neighboring Maryland and Virginia.
While driving recently, he was reminded of Aug. 25 when he won a prize of $50,425 on the DC Lottery’s DC5 game with the numbers 82524 from a license plate. He then stopped at State Line Market in Silver Spring, buying a 50-cent Maryland Lottery Pick 5 straight bet ticket with that number for five drawings from the evening of Nov. 9 through the evening of Nov. 11. As luck would have it, 82524 was the exact combination drawn on the evening of Nov. 10. The result: Carlos had a ticket worth $25,000 in his pocket.
As an aside, when Carlos won the $50,425 prize on 8-25-24, he was also playing a straight bet combination that relates to an anniversary important in his life, 11920.
Carlos picked up his Lottery hobby from his dad and his grandparents, who were all Lottery regulars.
“My father and my grandparents are living the moment through me,” Carlos said on Nov. 15 after claiming his $25,000 prize at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. He says he plans on putting his winnings in the bank. Carlos described himself as a frugal man who never dips into what he calls “red money” for entertainment. “Red money,” he explains, is what’s necessary to cover cost-of-living bills like housing, utilities, food and such.
“I play the Lottery for fun,” he said, adding that he sets a budget and sticks to it. He also enjoys shooting pool.
To claim his prize, Carlos wore his Lottery attire, a shirt featuring Lottery emblems and a hat with a dollar sign on it. His outfit was also what he wore when claiming his prize in the District.
The lucky player bought the winning ticket at State Line Market, 7817 Eastern Avenue in Montgomery County. The shop receives a Lottery bonus of $250, equal to 1% of the prize, for selling the $25,000-winning ticket.
