This Baltimore Ravens fan from Prince George’s County celebrates her life-changing Cash4Life win.
Quick-pick ticket gives Prince George’s County grandmother the win of a lifetime
With a big smile and her son in tow, a happy Baltimore Ravens fan hurried into Maryland Lottery headquarters on July 1 to claim a winning Cash4Life ticket worth $1,000 a week for life!
“Blessed,” a name our lucky winner chose to conceal her identity, bought her lucky quick-pick ticket in the multistate game while at Marlow Winghouse & Sports Grill in Temple Hills. The Prince George’s County resident frequents the restaurant for its good food and even better conversations among patrons about the Baltimore Ravens.
A loyal player, the 53-year-old has played Lottery games weekly since she turned 18. The lucky grandmother won the first $1,000-a-week-for-life prize in Maryland this year and is the state’s fourth second-tier-prize winner since Maryland began selling the game in 2016.
“I have played the Lottery for a long time,” said “Blessed,” adding, “I have won small amounts here and there but never anything this big!”
Her Lottery luck came as “Blessed” sat with friends discussing the Ravens’ chances for the upcoming year. Usually, she plays Pick 3 and Pick 4, her favorite games, but this day she decided to get quick-pick tickets for Powerball, Mega Millions, Bonus Match 5, and, lastly, Cash4Life. After purchasing the tickets and finishing a satisfying conversation about her favorite team, “Blessed” put the tickets in her car and continued on her way.
A resident of a small town in the county, “Blessed” drove around for a week with the lucky Cash4Life ticket before realizing she had a big winner. Once she checked her ticket against the results of the June 16 drawing, “Blessed” saw she matched the five winning numbers of 10, 32, 41, 42 and 51! She did not match the Cash Ball, which was 1. The happy player found out about her life-changing win with her granddaughter by her side.
“I scanned all my other tickets and when I scanned my Cash4Life ticket, and the machine flashed $1,000,000, my jaw dropped. I turned to my granddaughter and told her ‘We won!’ ”
After much consideration, “Blessed” chose the $1 million cash option (before taxes) instead of the $1,000-a-week-for-life annuity. She plans to purchase her first home with her winnings and share some of the funds with her family.
Marlow Winghouse & Sports Grill also has reason to celebrate. The Prince George’s County retailer, located at 4147 Branch Avenue in Temple Hills, received a $2,500 bonus from the Lottery for selling a second-tier winning Cash4Life ticket.
The Maryland Lottery began offering the Cash4Life game in January 2016. Ten states participate: Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Tennessee. Since the game began in June 2014, Cash4Life has had 49 top-prize winners and 120 second-tier winners. Maryland has now had three top-prize winners.
