Placed 50-cent straight wager
The Maryland Lottery’s Pick 5 game continues to grow in popularity and deliver big prizes. A 71-year-old Prince George’s County man is the latest player to claim a $25,000 prize in the game.
The Hyattsville resident started on the road to good fortune while buying tickets for games at his favorite retailer, Crestview Wine & Spirits in Hyattsville. He is a huge fan of the Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5 games. When he decided to buy a 50-cent straight ticket for the March 21 Pick 5 midday drawing “it just came to me to play my ZIP code, so I did,” said the lucky player. He left the store and went home to take a nap, which meant he missed the drawing.
When the winner awoke, he checked his tickets for a win using the Lottery app on his phone. He was quite surprised when he checked his Pick 5 ticket.
“I saw that I matched the numbers and was like, ‘Oh, OK,’” he said, smiling. “I figured I knew how much it was for, but I checked the app again to be sure.” A retired employee of the City of College Park Department of Public Works, the player had just won $25,000.
The husband, father and grandfather shared with Lottery officials that he would use his prize to help his granddaughter, who is in college, afford the cost of getting an apartment, and will save the rest of the prize.
The retailer that sold the winning ticket, Crestview Wine & Spirits, is located at 6707 Annapolis Road. The Prince George’s County business will receive a $250 bonus from the Lottery for selling the $25,000 winning Pick 5 ticket.
