Regular Powerball player “Keep Hope Alive” from Upper Marlboro claimed a $50,000 prize. |
Powerball jackpot prospector struck a vein of gold in November by winning a $50,000 prize in the Nov. 28 drawing. At Lottery headquarters, the lucky Upper Marlboro man posed with an oversized check bearing the moniker “Keep Hope Alive” and recounted the steps he took to reach his magic moment.
Persistence was the secret to his Powerball success, said the network operations engineer. The 58-year-old has played the Lottery’s jackpot games twice a week for four years. He visits the same store — Woodyard Market in Upper Marlboro — to place his $18 wager and always hopes it will lead to a Mega Millions, Cash4Life or Powerball prize.
“Keep Hope Alive” discovered his win when he checked the previous week’s wagers by scanning them on the store’s Lottery ticket checker. When he aligned the winning ticket’s barcode with the infrared reader, the hopeful player was greeted by a beep followed by a prize with four zeroes appearing on the screen. Not believing the result, the Prince George’s County resident checked the ticket again. His glimmer of hope grew like the smile on his face!
The lucky winner said the prize is a great addition to his savings although shy of the $183 million jackpot he was chasing. No one has won the rolling jackpot, which is set for $246 million for the Saturday, Dec. 14 drawing. “Keep Hope Alive” plans to spend some of his prize on home renovations and may use the proceeds to retire earlier. Way to go!
The store that sold his winning Powerball ticket, Woodyard Market, is located at 6905 Dower House Road in Upper Marlboro.