Bonus Match 5 Fan Scores $52,045 Prize in Nov. 14 Drawing

Howard County resident will spend winnings on home repairs, bills

An Elkridge man turned up at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore this week with a big smile to claim a prize in one of his favorite games. The anonymous player, who nicknamed himself “Richie” for Lottery publicity, won a $52,045 top prize in the Nov. 14 Bonus Match 5 drawing.

The dedicated Lottery player said he enjoys a variety of games, including Multi-Match, Bonus Match 5, Mega Millions and Pick 5. His routine is to never visit the same store more than twice in a week.

“Richie” found his lucky ticket at a Silver Spring convenience store. He bought a $6 ticket with nine lines of personal sets of numbers for the Nov. 14 drawing. Several of the lines had similar numbers, which added $2,045 to his $50,000 top-prize win.

“I didn’t realize it at first,” he said, after checking the winning numbers using his phone. “It said $52,045. I was stunned but remained calm and kept my cool.”

“Richie” plans to use his prize to make home repairs and to pay future bills. When asked if he’ll take a break from playing, he quickly replied, “No, it’s too much fun!”

His lucky retailer also shares in the fun. For selling a top-prize winning Bonus Match 5 ticket, Fairland Market and Convenience Store located at 13318 Old Columbia Pike in Silver Spring earns a $500 bonus from the Lottery.