An Annapolis scuba enthusiast doesn’t play the Lottery often, but a one-off purchase in an effort to catch a large Powerball jackpot paid off when he discovered his ticket was worth $50,000.
He related his winning story Sept. 11 after claiming his prize at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore.
The player has lived an adventurous life. He has traveled the globe scuba diving at destinations along the U.S. Pacific coast and in Thailand. At nearly 50, he says those days are behind him and he is looking forward to settling down and retiring.
These days he works as a repairman in the oil and gas industry.
In pursuit of a jackpot, he purchased a Powerball quick pick ticket as well as a Mega Millions ticket at the Wawa convenience store at 321 Busch’s Frontage Road in Annapolis.
Later, while at home, he checked the winning numbers on the Maryland Lottery website and quickly realized he had missed the jackpot by one number. His combination, however, did not mean the end of the road for his ticket.
“There’s some numbers matching up here,” he recalled saying.
After reviewing the prize structure, the realization came: he was a third-tier $50,000 winner.
“Oh my gosh,” the player recalled saying while texting his wife, who was at a nearby grocery store.
“I think I won,” he wrote.
“Are you sure?” she replied.
Once his wife got home the couple checked the ticket together and confirmed the good news.
The winner has not decided exactly what he will do with his winnings and is in no hurry to make a decision.
“I’ll buy a Coke and call it a day,” the player joked.
His wife suggested he treat himself, to which he shrugged.
For now, he plans to take his time before making a decision on how to spend his winnings.
“I like to stew on it before making any decisions,” he said.
