When the store’s Lottery sign caught his eye, he thought to himself: “Why not give it a shot?” This from one half of a Prince George’s County couple that won $50,000 playing Powerball on the Fourth of July.
“I’d overheard a co-worker mention that both Mega Millions and Powerball’s jackpots were pretty high,” he said July 23 when he and his wife claimed their prize at Lottery headquarters. At the time, the estimated annuity jackpot for Powerball had grown to $396 million for the July 4 drawing, but no one matched all five regular balls plus the Powerball, so the jackpot has continued to grow.
The Beltsville couple, however, matched four of the first five numbers drawn, plus the Powerball for a third-tier $50,000 win.
Since then, no one has matched all six Powerball numbers for a jackpot win, so the top prize for the next drawing on Saturday, July 25, has an estimated annuity value of $600 million with a one-time payment option of $266.4 million.
The two are occasional players, but the high jackpot had drawing power, prompting the stop at Vet’s Liquors at 11620 Baltimore Avenue in Beltsville.
“It didn’t mean much to me then, but it must have stuck in my head because when I saw the sign, I put on my turn signal,” the husband said of his co-worker’s mention of high jackpots. At the time, combined annuity jackpots for Powerball and Mega Millions totaled just under $1 billion for the holiday weekend.
Two days after buying the ticket, the Beltsville man took a look at the Lottery website and got the shock of his life.
“When I looked up the prize for matching four of the five numbers and the Powerball, I couldn’t believe it,” he said. His doubts kept him from sharing the news until he could be sure.
“I told her that I had to pick up something from the store.” Before his wife could ask any questions, he said, he was out the door and headed to the nearest Lottery retailer to confirm their Powerball luck.
“When I got home and told her, she started crying,” he said.
The couple plan to add their Powerball winnings to their savings.
