A Baltimore man with a Lottery plan for playing Bonus Match 5 saw his numbers come up in the Jan. 2 drawing, giving him a payday of $53,200.
His method: The first four numbers are always the same, 01,03,06, and 07. He plays that combination nine times, but with a different fifth number on each of the nine plays: 28, 39, 17, 21, 36, 23, 30, 35, and 09. Total ticket cost for the nine combinations is $6 since one of the bonuses in Bonus Match 5 is a discount for buying a ticket with multiple plays.
He did not make public the meaning behind the various digits. But his winnings are no secret.
The prize for matching all of the first five numbers drawn in Bonus Match 5 is $50,000, but there are also lower-tier prizes for matching two, three or four of five or four plus the Bonus Ball. Hitting some of these on his other nine combinations, which added another $3,200 to his win.
Accompanied by a friend and fellow Lottery player when he claimed his prize on Jan. 6 at Lottery Headquarters in Baltimore, he said he enjoys almost all of the Lottery’s games, but doesn’t play scratch-offs. Over the years, he’s won a number of smaller prizes, but the $50,000 Bonus Match 5 win is by far his largest.
The winner said he has no specific plans for his prize money, but said he plans to enjoy playing Lottery games and is hoping to make another trip to the Lottery office to claim another big prize.
He bought his top-tier winner at Hamilton News at 5438 Harford Road in Baltimore, and the store receives a bonus of $500 for selling the lucky ticket.
