Baltimore woman claims top prize in Jan. 20 drawing
Several times a year, “Tricey” of Baltimore buys a Bonus Match 5 ticket and plays a combination of numbers loosely based on her grandson’s birthday.
The mother of two and grandmother of one said scratch-off games are her favorites, and sometimes she goes weeks or months between her purchases of Bonus Match 5 tickets. Until Lottery luck came her way in the Jan. 20 Bonus Match 5 drawing, “Tricey” had never won a $50,000 prize of any kind.
“You’ve got to play to win,” she said, laughing.
On Jan. 20, “Tricey” stopped at Jessup Shell in Hanover near her workplace to buy gas. Luckily, the northwest Baltimore resident acted on the thought that she should add a Bonus Match 5 ticket to her purchase. The 60-year-old did so, following her routine for playing the game. She bought one $8 ticket good for both the Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 drawings and played her personal set of numbers that incorporate her grandson’s birth date.
“Tricey” put the ticket into a container she keeps in her car for scratch-offs and didn’t think about it for a few days. When she next visited her favorite Lottery retailer in Rosedale, “Tricey” brought the ticket inside the store to check it. “See Lottery agent” was the odd message that appeared when she scanned the ticket at the Lottery self-serve vending machine. Confused, “Tricey” took the ticket to the clerk and asked him to check it for a prize.
“He said, ‘You need to sign that ticket right now. You won $50,000!’ ” His words shocked “Tricey” to the point that a female customer behind her in line asked if she was OK. “I told her the news and she said, ‘That is beautiful.’ I was in a fog. I paid for her stuff and I gave the clerk $20, too.”
Her grandson also got $20, “Tricey” said. Her plans for the windfall include paying off a credit card, helping her mom financially as needed and putting the rest of the funds into the bank.
