Annapolis woman takes home taxes-paid top prize
Are the odds of winning with the Maryland Lottery’s Bonus Match 5 game really, really good? Just ask a loyal Annapolis player who has won $400 here and there while playing the game with her partner of 10 years. The 65-year-old retiree just claimed the $50,000 top prize from the April 23 drawing and, because of a special Lottery promotion, saw her taxes on the prize paid, too!
She is the 14th Bonus Match 5 top-prize winner in 2015. The retired manufacturing specialist discovered her ticket qualified for the Lottery’s taxes-paid promotion on Bonus Match 5 top-prize wins only when she arrived at Lottery headquarters to claim her prize. That promotion ended April 26.
“I knew nothing about that,” said the winner, smiling.
What’s her strategy for winning so often? She and her partner mix things up by choosing their own numbers and letting the machine pick numbers on the same ticket. “We use random numbers, birthdays and such,” they said. “We thought maybe the number we chose would hit, but it was the Quick Pick that won big.”
The duo found their Lottery luck at Telegraph Liquors in Severn. Unaware that a big win was on the horizon, they came home and followed their normal evening routine. They watched television and didn’t think about the $6 ticket until the Bonus Match 5 numbers scrolled across the screen.
“I hurried and wrote the numbers down and later checked to see if any matched,” said the lucky lady’s male friend. After checking each line, they came across the matching Quick Pick number and their celebration began!
The Anne Arundel County resident had already planned her summer vacations and said the prize will go toward the trips. She’ll also spend a portion of the win to pay off some bills. For selling the top-prize ticket, Telegraph Liquors at 7741 Telegraph Road in Severn will get a $500 bonus from the Lottery.