“Lost & Found Queen” won $10,012 playing Keno on a quick-pick 7-spot bet. |
Finksburg woman wins $10,012 playing her favorite game with a quick pick
A missing Keno ticket almost kept a Carroll County resident from living the good life after she won $10,012 playing her favorite Maryland Lottery game. Thanks to a little help from her friend, the “Lost & Found Queen” and her ticket were reunited within 24 hours.
The lucky Finksburg resident was enjoying a late lunch with her friend at Bill Bateman’s Bistro in Reisterstown on a Friday afternoon when Lottery inspiration hit. She decided to play 10 rounds of Keno. “Lost & Found Queen” has played the game for years and usually picks her own numbers.
“Something told me to just play a quick-pick ticket and play lots of numbers,” said the 53-year-old. She bought a 7-spot quick-pick Keno ticket and wound up with the numbers 1, 5, 20, 21, 27, 66 and 68. One of the games caught her eye – for good reason. “As the numbers flashed up on the screen, I was in shock that all of mine were up there!”
A 7-spot bet usually pays out $2,500 but the Bonus feature she added to her game quadrupled her prize to $10,012. After several hours of celebration, the winner returned home and was greeted by her son. “Lost & Found Queen” happily informed him of her big win but the son, dubious about her good fortune, asked to see the winning ticket. She couldn’t find it anywhere!
The frantic winner called her friend, who was still at the restaurant, to ask if she had left the winning ticket behind. Yes, indeed, the ticket was there! Her friend stashed it in a safe place and returned it to the rightful owner the next morning.
“When I got the winning ticket back again, we began to celebrate all over again!” said “Lost & Found Queen.”
Bill Bateman’s Bistro located at 102 Chartley Drive in Reisterstown is also enjoying her win. For selling a winning Keno ticket of $10,000 or more, the lucky retailer will receive a $100 bonus from the Lottery. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize.