Friend’s hunch about player’s good fortune worth a fortune
A Bowie man receives a phone call from a friend informing him that he may be a second-tier $1 million Powerball winner. The friend suspects the man is a winner based on where the ticket was sold, which he learned from the news.
Suspicious but hopeful, the man goes back to Rieve’s Deli at 8374 Piney Orchard Parkway in Odenton to check. Turns out the friend is right: the 49-year-old man from Bowie is a Maryland Lottery millionaire.
Upon visiting Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore to claim the prize, the lucky player reflected on the chain of events, concluding: “Oh, they weren’t lying.” Still, he mainly kept quiet about the big score, though he did call his wife immediately to share the good news.
The man visits Rieve’s regularly to play Powerball and Mega Millions. The lucky winner doesn’t like to select his numbers because he doesn’t want the disappointment of not playing a number and later hearing said number was actually a winner. He therefore prefers the quick pick option to avoid being let down. Turns out that was the best way to go for this player.
The Bowie player has worked in cyber security for six years. When asked of his plans for the windfall, the man and his wife said they hadn’t made any. They’ll put it all in the bank and then figure it out later.
Rieve’s Deli will also share in the player’s good fortune, receiving a $2,500 bonus for selling a second-tier winning Powerball ticket.