Claims $50,000 top prize from weekend drawing
A Rockville retiree routinely starts his day at his local Giant, where he buys multiple newspapers and Maryland Lottery scratch-offs to enjoy at home during breakfast. On March 28, he made a bonus purchase – a couple of quick-pick Bonus Match 5 tickets – and headed home.
The Montgomery County resident and his wife of 37 years enjoyed an uneventful Saturday that ended with dinner and TV. He didn’t stop to watch the televised Bonus Match 5 drawing. “Before I go to bed I always check my numbers,” he said. That’s when the grandfather of one discovered he owned a $50,000 winning Bonus Match 5 ticket!
“I was kind of speechless,” he said. His wife was already in bed so he quietly hid the ticket and tried to sleep. He admits, “I didn’t sleep well.”
Sunday came and went with nothing said to either his wife or his adult daughter about his win. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employee, who retired in 1990 after more than 35 years of service, arrived at Lottery headquarters Monday morning to claim his prize. The happy 80-something winner planned to go straight home and share the good news with his family.
He’s still thinking about how he wants to spend the prize and knows he will keep playing Lottery games. This is his second big win already this year; he claimed a $5,000 prize on the $5 Orioles scratch-off in January.
His ticket, bought at Giant #319 at 625 Hungerford Drive in Rockville, is the ninth $50,000 winning Bonus Match 5 ticket sold in 2015. Giant will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling the ticket.