Novice Pick 5 player was watching football when the urge came over him to play
An Edgewood man was shocked after purchasing just one Pick 5 ticket to discover he won a $50,000 prize. The Harford County man was enjoying a Sunday football game and having a pretty good day when he felt the need to play the game.
“You ever have one of those days when everything is going right?” he asked a Lottery official when he claimed the prize at Lottery headquarters. “I was having one of those days and then I saw a Lottery commercial and thought to myself, ‘I’m going to play.’” He did just that and his good day became a great day!
The Pick 5 novice headed to Geresbeck’s Bi-Rite in Baltimore to try his luck. Being that he’s only played Pick 5 a few times, he sought assistance from another Lottery player in the store. The player, who is a sales manager, purchased one Pick 5 ticket for $1 straight using his own numbers for the Aug. 25 midday drawing. Later in the day, he asked a friend to send him the winning midday numbers.
“When I saw my numbers looking back at me, I thought it was fake,” said the big winner. “So, I went back to the store to scan the ticket to see that I actually did win.”
He then shared news of his good fortune with his mother.
“I thought he was kidding when he told me,” she explained to Lottery officials, having accompanied her son to claim the prize. “When I saw it was real, I smirked and said, ‘What’s my cut?’”
The winner told Lottery officials that if he ever experiences the feeling that he should play a Lottery game, he’ll play again. In the meantime, he plans to save his $50,000 fortune.
Sharing in the joy of his win is Geresback’s Bi-Rite, which is located at 2109 Eastern Boulevard in Baltimore. The retailer will receive a $500 Lottery bonus for selling a $50,000-winning Pick 5 ticket.
