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Lemuel Greene of Lanham won a $15,616.50 prize playing Racetrax.Lanham resident claims $15,616.50 prize
To say that Lemuel Greene of Lanham is an avid Racetrax player might be a bit of an understatement.
The 48-year-old UPS employee estimates that he’s won about $100,000 this year playing the Maryland Lottery’s computer-animated horse racing game, which puts him well ahead of the $40,000 he won last year. On Nov. 13 – Friday the 13th, no less – he won more on a single Racetrax ticket than he ever had before. After playing several other tickets that morning, he paid $30 for a one-draw Trifecta Box ticket, betting 50 cents per combination.
“I was so mad, I should have made it $1 per combination,” he said, although he had a smile on his face. That’s because one of his combinations – 12-10-11 – finished in the top three spots, giving him a payoff of $15,616.50.
“I play a lot and I like the box tickets,” Lemuel said. “But I was surprised. I was hoping maybe I’d get $3,000. To get $15,000 – I was shocked.”
The next person shocked by the win was his wife. The Prince George’s County resident shared news of his big win with her after he came to Lottery headquarters in Baltimore to claim his prize.
“I told her I won big, but didn’t tell her how much,” Lemuel said with a smile.
He has won at Racetrax many times before, but never more than a few thousand dollars. A $5,000 win on Pick 4 also stands out in his mind. As for what to do with his biggest Lottery prize, the loyal player said he planned to save it to pay for Christmas presents for his two daughters, one of whom recently started work on her doctorate. His other daughter recently enrolled in a master’s degree program.
The lucky retailer where Lemuel purchased his ticket is a winner as well. Whitfield Sunoco at 9105 Annapolis Road in Lanham will receive a bonus of $156.16 from the Lottery – equal to 1 percent of the prize value.