Rick and Joan are in full celebration mode while claiming their $50,402 Bonus Match 5 prize. |
Reisterstown man lands game’s top prize
Rick Taylor and his fiancée Joan Landis were big Maryland Lottery fans even before a $50,402 Bonus Match 5 prize entered their lives. The fun they have playing games of chance has led them all over the country.
Rick sells specialty foods and Joan is a baker, which means the events of his Friday night top-prize win are still a bit hazy. “I have to get up pretty early in the morning,” she said. “When all this went down, I was already asleep.”
The Reisterstown man had purchased a Bonus Match 5 ticket from Chartley Liquor Store in Reisterstown for a week’s worth of drawings. On Friday, he visited his mom on the way home from work and then went out for a walk.
“When I got home, I realized that I’d missed the drawing so I went online to check my numbers,” Rick said. He immediately saw that he’d matched four numbers, giving him a $400 win. “I thought about waking up Joan and decided against it, but then I checked the other lines on my ticket,” he said.
They play a specific combination of numbers every time, regardless of the game and regardless of where they happen to be. “These numbers have worked well for us, especially in Las Vegas,” said the 59-year-old. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw every number match. I had to get to the store to confirm, I just didn’t trust myself to read it correctly.”
As he left, Joan woke up and saw Rick literally running to his car. “I was sure something was wrong,” she said. Rick returned quickly with news that calmed her fears and then thrilled her. “I asked him if everything was okay and he just smiled at me.”
The couple will dedicate their Bonus Match 5 top-prize winnings to their retirement funds. “It’s a real comfort to have this in the bank. It speeds up our retirement schedule.”
Their Lottery luck extends to their lucky retailer. Chartley Liquor Store at 122 Chartley Road in Reisterstown will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling a top-prize ticket in the game.