Virginia woman finds fortune at MGM National Harbor casino
Life doesn’t take her into Maryland too much anymore, an Arlington woman told Lottery officials, but Powerball recently gave her a billion reasons to visit. The game’s near record-breaking jackpot roll, which ended Oct. 11 in a $1.765 billion win, put her in just the right place to win $50,000.
“Virginia sells Powerball,” the federal contractor explained,” but I can’t play the Double Play there. When I play, I like the Double Play so I come up here for tickets.” The Double Play, which for an extra $1 enters a Powerball ticket into a second drawing occurring immediately after the regular winning numbers are drawn, apparently likes her, too. Her $50,000 prize came courtesy of the Double Play add-on feature.
The 64-year-old checked her $20 Powerball quick-pick ticket a few days later. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when I scanned it.” Confused by the abundance on zeros on the scanner screen, the Virginia resident looked again only to realize that what she first thought was a $5,000 prize was in fact much bigger. “I stayed as calm as I could and hurried to my car.”
Having to wait several days until a family member’s schedule allowed him to accompany her to Baltimore, the out-of-state winner took good care of her lucky Powerball ticket. “I arranged to telework for those days. I didn’t want that thing out of my sight.”
The Lottery vending machine at the MGM casino at National Harbor issued the $50,000 winning ticket. If you care to try your luck there, tap 101 MGM National Avenue, Oxon Hill, into your GPS.
