Montgomery County resident has practical plans for his windfall
A Maryland Lottery player from Germantown said he has been waiting “probably all my life” for a win like the $50,000 Pick 5 prize he claimed on July 27.
The Montgomery County man has played the same four-digit number, 7340, for many years on the Pick 4 game. When the Lottery launched Pick 5 in February, he added a 1 to the end of his number and kept playing. The winning combination won $50,000 on the evening of July 22.
Asked about the four original digits, the 71-year-old said they were once his house number.
“It was my first house and my first wife,” he said. Accompanying him to Lottery headquarters to collect his prize was his second wife, who proclaimed, “The first wife is out of luck!”
Since he’s played the same digits for so long, the winner knew as soon as he heard the drawing numbers that he had hit big.
“I stopped like a deer in the headlights,” said the mostly-retired truck driver. He plays his favorite combination straight for $1 and boxed for $1, so he won $400 on the box bet in addition to the big score.
His plans for the windfall are fairly ordinary. The winner wants to get new eyeglasses, have dental work performed and pay off a loan early. After that, a vacation trip is likely, he said.
Sharing in his good fortune is SN Beer & Wine at 12801 Wisteria Drive in Germantown. The Montgomery County business receives a bonus of $500 from the Lottery for selling a winning Pick 5 ticket of $50,000. The bonus is equal to 1% of the prize.
