Baltimore’s $12,505 Racetrax winner claimed his pre-birthday prize on his big day. |
Address hunch leads to destination with destiny
Forget the birthday cake, candles and balloons. Claiming a Lottery prize is a great way to celebrate your birthday, according to a Baltimore man who took time out of his big day to claim a Racetrax Superfecta prize worth $12,505. He won the previous day.
The local handyman, who called himself “ ‘Bout Time Birthday Boy,” said his luck finally led to a large Lottery win when he discarded his regular numbers. Instead, he placed a wager at One Stop Food Store in Baltimore using a combination he thought up while working.
“I was visiting a house for some landscaping work and when I saw the numbers on the address, they just stuck with me,” he said.
The player purchased a $1 Racetrax ticket with the address in the form of a Superfecta bet: 9, 12, 2 and 1. The odds of his horses crossing the finish line in that order were just one in 18,777! The 58-year-old discovered the feat later when he scanned the ticket using the Maryland Lottery’s smartphone app.
“I wondered, maybe this might be a mistake,” he said. When the app congratulated him on a $12,505 win, he told Lottery officials he couldn’t believe it right away. After scanning the ticket several more times, he realized his hunch was a lucky one.
For “‘Bout Time Birthday Boy,” this is always a lucky time of year. He once won a handsome Pick 3 payout on his birthday. Last year, his birthday numbers appeared in a drawing. This year, his win arrived only hours before his birthday.
The lucky man said he has a series of home improvements on his to-do list and plans to use the proceeds from his Racetrax win to bring a long-awaited refurbished bathroom project across the finish line!
The lucky store where his big win occurred can also celebrate. The One Stop Food Store, located at 23 North Howard Street, will earn a $125 bonus from the Lottery for selling a winning Racetrax ticket of $10,000 or more.