Retired tech worker purchased a ticket after he heard it was ‘Powerball night’
A Prince George’s County man who is a loyal Pick 3 player overheard a conversation that inspired him to try a different game. He purchased a Powerball ticket for the Dec. 30 drawing at a Glenn Dale retailer and added the Power Play multiplier option for $1. That was a great decision, as he won a $200,000 third-tier prize.
“I heard one of the guys in the store say ‘It’s Powerball night’ so I thought that I should buy a ticket,” said the Bowie resident.
The retired tech worker later learned of his big win while checking his numbers at a Lottery retailer. He decided to wait until he got home to confirm the win because he started seeing the winning numbers match those on his $3 ticket.
“I saw that I won something at the store. I wasn’t sure how many numbers I had until I checked it on my phone at home,” he said.
Matching four out of five winning numbers plus the Powerball results in a third-tier prize that is usually $50,000. The Power Play multiplier for that night’s drawing quadrupled his prize to $200,000.
“I always purchase the Power Play. It usually turns my $2 win into $6 or $8. I didn’t plan on it going up to $200,000,” he said with a huge smile. The lucky winner plans to pay bills with his prize and take a vacation with his wife.
He bought the winning ticket in Prince George’s County at E&C Mid-Atlantic, 12300 Annapolis Road in Glenn Dale.
A new year also brings a new Powerball promotion. Maryland players purchasing a Powerball ticket from Jan. 3-16 could win a free $2 Mega Millions ticket awarded at random. The free ticket will print immediately after the Powerball ticket prints. The promotion runs until Jan. 16 unless the jackpot is hit again, and then the promotion will restart.