Loyal player doubles prize with Megaplier feature
Adding the Megaplier option to Mega Millions tickets is standard practice these days for a loyal Lottery player from Bowie. His decision to do so when he bought a Quick Pick ticket for the March 25 drawing wound up doubling his prize to $20,000.
The Prince George’s County resident started down the road to good fortune on a Thursday night, when he stopped at Hilltop Wine & Spirits at 6856 Race Track Road in Bowie to buy his weekly Lottery games. Among his $20 in purchases were several Mega Millions tickets and a Cash4Life ticket. One of those quick-pick Mega Millions tickets was the big winner.
The 35-year-old, who works at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as an administrative officer, wrapped up his work on Friday with plans to visit his sister in Virginia. He discovered his big win on Saturday morning after he pulled up the Lottery app on his phone to check his tickets.
“I was on my way out the door to go to my sister’s house,” he said, “and I noticed I matched the Mega Ball.” He then saw he matched four of the other numbers, too. The next step, the winner decided, was to take the time to scan the ticket using the Lottery app. “I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I scanned it about 15 times.”
He immediately phoned his sister in Virginia with the news. “I said, ‘I’m sorry, I’m running a little late. I got distracted. I won $20,000!’”
The winner’s parents live in Bowie, and he followed their advice to stash the lucky ticket in their safe until he could claim the prize. His father plays Lottery games along with one of his four other siblings, and everyone was happy to hear about his $20,000 win. Until now, his biggest prize was $1,000.
The happy player plans to use his windfall to renovate his home. He also plans to keep chasing jackpots and has his eye on the $4.75 million Multi-Match jackpot up for grabs in the Monday, May 2 drawing. The cash value is $3.5 million. This is the second highest Multi-Match jackpot in Maryland Lottery history.
