Loyal Maryland Lottery player scores top prize in daily drawing
A Maryland Lottery player from Montgomery County has a secret he’s not sharing with anyone, aside from his wife. He won $50,000 in the June 19 Bonus Match 5 drawing.
“Too many people ask questions and want something,” he said this week after claiming his prize with his wife at his side.
A regular player who enjoys Pick 3, Pick 4, Mega Millions and Powerball in addition to Bonus Match 5, his previous personal best Maryland Lottery win was in the $400 range. Winning $50,000 came as a surprise.
“Believe me, I was kind of shocked!” he said. The Silver Spring resident learned of his top-tier win while casually talking with a fellow customer at a store and scanning tickets to check them for a win. He was expecting the usual collection of mostly non-winners with a low-tier, prize-winning ticket in the mix. Still, he was paying attention when the $50,000-win message flashed on the ticket checker.
“Is that correct?” he recalls thinking. “That can’t be real.”
He scanned the $6 ticket again, taking care not to reveal any emotion that would give it away – just in case. “No one noticed,” he said.
After another customer scanned a ticket using the store equipment, the winner returned to triple-check his ticket. Sure enough, the same message appeared. Still doubtful, he took the ticket to a clerk, who printed out a slip of paper showing the dollar amount of the prize. Only then did the winner go home and show the lucky ticket to his wife.
“I kept looking at it!” she said.
With the extra money, the winner plans to make some upgrades to his house. He also is pondering a trip to Europe with a family member, depending on a few timing issues.
His ticket is among 20 $50,000 top-prize winners sold in the Bonus Match 5 game in 2024. The happy husband bought it at the 7-Eleven at 10594 Metropolitan Avenue in Kensington, which receives a bonus of $500 from the Lottery for selling a top-prize winning ticket. The bonus is equal to 1% of the prize.
