A Capital Heights man who plays Powerball regularly has scored a $200,000 prize, and he says his days of playing the Maryland Lottery may be over.
“I just be happy to win my money back,” he said Oct. 23 when he claimed his winnings at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore.
The retired construction worker purchased his winning ticket Sept. 29 at the 7-Eleven at 8900 Edmonston Road in College Park, going with the quick pick option instead of selecting his own numbers.
“I always win more when I let the machine choose,” he said.
When he checked his tickets using the Maryland Lottery app after the drawing the next day, he could hardly believe what he was seeing.
“I just kept looking ’cause I didn’t know I won anything,” he said.
He took the ticket to a Lottery retailer to confirm whether he had a win. Even after realizing he had won $200,000, he wasn’t in a hurry to claim his prize. Instead, he kept the ticket in his pocket for a week, keeping the news to himself.
Eventually, he contacted his niece for help getting to Baltimore to claim his winnings.
“He called and said he needed a ride to Baltimore,” she said.
The call came on Columbus Day, a federal holiday, and he wasn’t offering many details about why he needed to make the trip. His niece had questions.
“I was like, ‘Where are you going? Why do you have to go to Baltimore today?’” she said.
That’s when she learned about his big win and helped him schedule an appointment to claim his prize.
The winner plans to use his windfall to continue supporting himself in retirement. A devoted Washington Commanders fan, he is also looking forward to cheering on his team this season and for years to come.
After years of playing Powerball and finally landing a $200,000 prize, the winner says he’s considering to calling it quits. Since the date of his third-tier win nearly a month ago, the size of the annuity jackpot has increased to $687 million with an estimated one-time payment option of $294.7 million for the Oct. 26 drawing.
