Lucky winner claims Powerball prize won on Thanksgiving Eve
A 37-year-old Lewes, Del., man was staying in his family’s condominium in Ocean City, the night before Thanksgiving when Maryland Lottery luck came to visit. The jackpot chaser purchased a $10 quick pick Powerball ticket with five lines of numbers, hoping to win the $359 million jackpot that was on the line in the Nov. 23, 2016 drawing.
While he didn’t nail down the jackpot he was after, he did win a $1 million second-tier prize. The first line of numbers on his ticket matched all five of the white balls drawn – 7, 32, 41, 47 and 61 – but didn’t match the red Power Ball number (3).
The big winner didn’t watch the drawing and said he went into shock when he checked his ticket later and saw all of his matching numbers.
“I pulled the numbers up on my phone and compared them to my ticket,” said the Worcester County School System employee. “I didn’t know what to do, I was shocked.”
Once the reality of the win started to sink in, he called his parents to share the news.
“He was just so excited,” said the winner’s mother who, along with his father, accompanied him to Lottery headquarters to claim the prize. “No one was able to sleep after that.”
Because of all the excitement, the nervous winner missed Thanksgiving dinner worrying about his $1 million winning Powerball ticket. A few days later, he calmed his nerves by locking the winning ticket in a safe deposit box. That’s where the ticket stayed until this week, when his mother retrieved it.
“I haven’t checked on that ticket since putting it there back in November,” said the winner, who had started a new job not long before the drawing and couldn’t immediately miss work. That explains why it took him nearly four months to claim his prize.
The winner plans to use his newfound fortune to purchase a home in Ocean City. He’s also thinking about buying a boat, and will put money into savings.
The Lottery retailer that sold the ticket is also a winner. The 7-Eleven store at 11911 Coastal Highway in Ocean City received a $2,500 bonus from the Lottery.