Wins $50,000 in Jan. 14 Pick 5 drawing
She doesn’t know where it came from, a Prince George’s County retiree told Lottery officials on Thursday, but it’s a number she’ll never forget. Those five digits, when used as a Pick 5 combination a couple of weeks ago, produced a $50,000 prize.
“It must have been on a sign, or maybe in a commercial,” the former federal government employee explained. “Wherever it was, once I saw it, it sure did stick in my head.” In fact, it did so to the point that she played the combination 98949 in the Jan. 14 evening Pick 5 drawing.
“I buy tickets occasionally, but had never played Pick 5 before. The way this number came to me, it just seemed like something was telling me to give it a try.”
The very next day she noticed the winning numbers listed on a Keno monitor in a Lottery retailer. “The Pick 5 came up and I just stood there, staring. I couldn’t believe it. I said to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, I am a winner!’” She suddenly felt weak all over her body, the Capitol Heights resident shared. “I caught myself, but I almost yelled in the middle of the store.”
The days between her $50,000 win and her visit to Lottery headquarters have been happy ones. “I go to sleep with a smile every night.” She’s especially excited, she said, to share her good fortune with her family.
The good folks who own Mike’s Liquors at 5301 Indian Head Highway in Oxon Hill also benefit from selling her the $1 straight bet ticket. The Prince George’s County business will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling the $50,000 Pick 5 winner.
