Howard County veteran finds lucky win in June drawing
She buys Lottery tickets often enough, a U.S. Navy veteran told Lottery officials this week, that she was set in her ways and didn’t even try playing Pick 5 when it debuted in February. That’s changed, however, now that Pick 5 gave her 50,000 reasons to add the game to her routine.
“I had certain games I played,” the Columbia resident said. “I was not about to just change my plan when Pick 5 came out.” This remained the case until her sister had some luck with the new game. “I decided to give Pick 5 a chance, to try it out for a little while.”
One month later, almost to the day, our winner found herself at home watching the June 19 evening drawing. She had bought a $1 straight bet ticket for that drawing and the June 20 midday drawing at Giant #111 in Columbia.
“The first Pick 5 number was mine, then the next one, then all of them. I couldn’t believe it.” When asked why it took so long to claim her $50,000 prize, the federal government employee explained that she’d been in shock for weeks after the big win. “Part of me knew it was real because I put the ticket in a safe place, but most of me didn’t believe. It just seemed so impossible.”
The Howard County woman plans to share her Pick 5 winnings with her family. “You know, my late mother would sometimes call me and ask if it had happened,” she said. “The ‘it’ was a big Lottery win. She was somehow sure that there was a big prize in my future. She was right.”
Giant #111 at 6480 Freetown Road in Howard County played an important role in this happy story. Management there earned a $500 bonus for selling the $50,000-winning Pick 5 ticket.
