Claims Bonus Match 5 top prize from April 21 drawing
A Silver Spring parking attendant raised the arm on winning last week and claimed a $50,000 Bonus Match 5 top prize in the April 21 drawing.
The 41-year-old former Uber driver beat Lottery odds to match his five quick-pick numbers to those drawn. The lucky man recounted his luck with Lottery officials, explaining that the ticket was a lucky last-minute purchase.
The dedicated player usually picks his own numbers when playing Bonus Match 5. He chooses special digits that have a religious significance. When he bought his winning ticket at Fenton Citgo in Silver Spring, he needed to act quickly before sales ended prior to the drawing. He selected the Quick Pick option to speed up his purchase and tucked the ticket into his wallet.
Late that evening at home, he fished the Bonus Match 5 ticket out and looked up the drawing results on his phone. When he saw that the winning numbers of 1, 25, 29, 36 and 38 matched one line of numbers on his ticket, he couldn’t restrain his joy. The win validated the parking lot attendant’s many other attempts to find a big prize. He began to celebrate, waking his wife to share the excitement.
Sleep remained elusive all weekend until he claimed his prize on Monday morning. The winner hid the lucky $6 ticket in his Bible, but, even so, could not rest easy. The $50,000 win is the highest prize he has ever claimed. The winner has no immediate plans for his prize other than paying off some bills.
His lucky Lottery retailer also benefits from the win. The Fenton Citgo located at 8333 Fenton Street in Silver Spring earns a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling the top-prize winning ticket in the game.