Displaying a giant check promoting one of his two big wins on one night is Earl Joyce Sr. of Columbia.
Wins $25,000 on Pick 5, $50,000 on Bonus Match 5
Earl Joyce Sr. has incredible Lottery luck, winning two prizes in different games on the same night for a total windfall of $75,000.
The Columbia man placed a 50-cent straight bet on the numbers 23482 in the Pick 5 evening drawing on Sept. 13. He also bought a $2 quick-pick ticket for the Bonus Match 5 drawing the same night.
“It was crazy. I hit the $25,000 on Pick 5 and then I checked my Bonus Match 5 tickets and saw that I won $50,000. I couldn’t believe I hit both,” Earl said.
The 67-year-old said he has won small prizes on Lottery drawings but never a total of $75,000 in one night. What is his secret?
“I play the same numbers every day,” Earl said. “People get discouraged and change their numbers and then it eventually hits. I tell them to stay with your numbers.”
He explained that the Pick 5 numbers were from his truck’s license plate.
Earl retired from the Howard County Board of Education on Sept. 1. The Howard County resident has three adult children in their 40s and several grandchildren. Now that he has free time and $75,000 in prizes to enjoy spending, he plans to travel.
Columbia Auto Care and Wash at 10611 Little Patuxent Parkway sold Earl the winning tickets. The Howard County business will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling the top-prize winning Bonus Match 5 ticket and a $250 bonus for selling the $25,000-winning Pick 5 ticket. Earl told Lottery officials that he returned to the retailer to buy more tickets after his big win and they were promoting their lucky ticket sales.
“I went back to the store and they told me, ‘We sold a $50,000 ticket’ and then I smiled. The clerk said, ‘It was you, wasn’t it!’” Earl recalled with a big grin.
