An Anne Arundel County man, preparing to pick up some groceries, also brought home a $49,223 FAST PLAY progressive jackpot prize. The $5 Chili Pepper Payout game was not on the jackpot chaser’s shopping list, as he initially planned to just buy Mega Millions and Powerball tickets. But curiosity led him to also buy a FAST PLAY game and he bagged a huge win.
It was on March 8 when the Odenton resident was making his weekly grocery shopping run at the Giant store in Crofton, and he noticed that the Mega Millions jackpot was growing. Before he began shopping, he bought a Mega Millions ticket and a Powerball ticket. And, out of curiosity, he serendipitously picked a FAST PLAY game to try.
“I’ve played the FAST PLAY games once in a while, but I’m not that familiar with them,” he shared March 19 when he visited Lottery headquarters to claim his prize. “I didn’t even notice that it was a progressive jackpot game.”
Even though a quick glance at a FAST PLAY game can reveal a win, the player didn’t know he won until he scanned the ticket. His interest was piqued when the message said to “go to the Lottery.”
“That’s when I really looked at it and saw that it was a progressive jackpot game and the amount on the ticket was $49,223,” smiled the shocked winner. “To be sure though, I bought another Chili Pepper Payout game to see if the jackpot had reset and it did.”
Indeed, the progressive jackpot had set back to $40,000 meaning he was definitely holding the winning jackpot ticket. Excited about his good fortune, the big winner still had some shopping to do. He put away his winning game and finished grocery shopping. Once home, he shared the good news with his wife.
“I had to show her the ticket for her to believe me,” he said. “She really thought I was kidding.”
After letting the special moment sink in a bit, the winner went on line to determine his next steps. He made an appointment and claimed his winnings on March 19. He shared with Lottery officials that he will eventually put the winnings to good use but for now he’ll let his big win sit in savings.
Celebrating along with the winner is the Giant Store that sold the winning ticket. The Lottery retailer at 1649 Crofton Center in Crofton receives a bonus of $492.23 which is 1% of the prize amount.
The FAST PLAY Chili Pepper Payout progressive jackpot game has 13 progressive jackpots remaining after this win. The jackpot reset to $40,000 and will grow a little each time a non-jackpot winner is sold.
