Wins top-tier prize on Christmas Day
When Maryland’s newest multimillionaire came into Lottery headquarters to claim his $2.85 million Multi-Match prize, he had a feeling of déjà vu. Almost 10 years ago, the lucky Parkville resident walked through those same doors to claim another large prize.
“I was here in 2005 when I won a $250,000 second-tier Mega Millions prize,” he said with a smile. “It’s great to be back.”
This time, the 39-year-old is walking away with a lot more change in his pocket. The winner chose the cash option for the prize, which came to more than $2.2 million.
The truck driver has played Multi-Match since the game began and likes to buy his tickets at different stores along his route. Last week, he stopped for gas at a Safeway store in Waldorf and felt like that was a good location to purchase tickets for the Christmas Day drawing.
He didn’t realize he’d won for several days. On Friday morning, he went online to mdlottery.com and saw that somebody hit the jackpot. He didn’t think much more about it. Later that day, he saw that the winning ticket was sold in Waldorf.
“I still didn’t think much of it until Saturday morning, when I saw that it was sold at the Safeway store,” he told Lottery officials. “That’s when I checked my numbers and realized that I was the winner!”
The last time he won, the father of two sons and his wife put a down payment on a house. With the Multi-Match prize, they plan to pay off the house, take a vacation and save for their children. The lucky Safeway store. located at 10 King Street in Waldorf, will receive a $2,850 bonus for selling the top-tier ticket.
This was the ninth Multi-Match jackpot in 2014. This jackpot began rolling after an Annapolis winner hit a $500,000 jackpot on July 31. The largest Multi-Match jackpot win ever was $4.8 million in 2009.