Duo miss jackpot by one number
A 68-year-old legal assistant who has played Maryland Lottery jackpot games with her employer for over 30 years didn’t miss a beat – or a drawing – when she retired. The legal eagles still play jackpot games together, with the Riverdale retiree purchasing their tickets.
She found Lady Luck waiting when she bought Powerball tickets for the July 29 drawing at Riverdale Plaza Liquors in Riverdale. To their surprise, the duo won $50,000 by matching four of the white balls and the red Powerball.
“We’ve been playing a combination of family birthdays for years,” she said.
The mother of two adult children and a grandchild didn’t watch the drawing but was informed by her roommate that the numbers looked familiar. “He started calling out the numbers and my heart started pounding,” she said. “I can’t believe we missed the jackpot by one number.”
The lucky player scanned the ticket to confirm the win and immediately texted her Lottery partner to share the great news.
“I was so surprised to get that message that said we won,” said the 77-year-old attorney from Potomac. “I’ll probably just give my portion to my wife.” His assistant plans to share her winnings with her family, too. After taxes and splitting the prize in half, the team takes home a little over $16,000 each.
The site of their lucky Powerball ticket purchase was Riverdale Plaza Liquors located at 5729 Riverdale Road in Riverdale.
They were the only Marylanders to hit the $50,000 prize in the drawing and among 20 $50,000 winners nationwide. No one hit the jackpot in the Aug. 5 drawing so it rolled to $307 million for the Wednesday, Aug. 9 drawing. The cash option is $193.2 million.