A 53-year-old Capitol Heights man is having an early birthday celebration after winning $50,000 playing Bonus Match 5, his favorite Maryland Lottery game.
The U.S. Postal Service employee was on his way home from work on Thanksgiving eve when he stopped at Central Exxon in Seat Pleasant to purchase a ticket for that night’s drawing. He played random numbers in the Nov. 21 drawing and headed home. The lucky player had an early work shift on Thanksgiving so he went to bed before seeing the winning numbers.
“For some reason, I woke up super early so I decided to check my ticket,” the winner said, smiling. “When I saw the matching numbers, a sense of relief came over me.”
The lucky player was still too excited to go back to sleep and stayed up until it was time for work. He put his top-prize ticket in a safe place and waited until after the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend to claim his winnings. The bachelor said the best part of his big win will be sharing the news with his siblings and nephews.
“I have to say it was on my mind all weekend,” he said.
The Prince George’s County resident will celebrate his birthday next month and described his Bonus Match 5 prize as the “best gift!” He plans to use the winnings to make home improvements and pay off bills. He will also spend the prize on the holidays and share some of the big win with family members.
The retailer that sold the winning ticket is also celebrating. Central Exxon located at 6400 Central Avenue in Seat Pleasant earns a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling a top-prize ticket in the Bonus Match 5 game.