Washington, D.C., resident Derrick Hardy was excited to win $50,000 playing the Maryland Lottery’s Bonus Match 5 game.
A Washington, D.C., man described himself as a big fan of lottery games, but he rarely plays the D.C. Lottery because, he says, he wins more on tickets he buys in Maryland. Case in point: He won $50,000 in the July 15 drawing of the Maryland Lottery game Bonus Match 5.
“My luck’s not good in the District,” Derrick Hardy said July 17 as he visited the Maryland Lottery office in Baltimore to claim his windfall.
Over his years of playing, he has picked up wins of $400 and $600 on Bonus Match 5, and once won a five-digit amount with a $5 bet on Maryland’s Pick 4. For at least one of the Bonus Match 5 lower-tier wins, he hit using the same combination of numbers that delivered the top prize on July 15.
He’s always excited about winning, but was especially taken aback when he realized his ticket was his personal-best Lottery win.
Though he was excited about the windfall, his plans are a bit mundane. Derrick says it’ll mostly go into his retirement account.
The big win has solidified his preference for the Maryland Lottery and says he “absolutely!” will continue playing, though his practice of occasionally buying tickets in D.C. and Virginia will also continue.
He bought his lucky ticket at the 7-Eleven store at 4508 St. Barnabas Road in Temple Hills. The store receives a bonus of $500, equal to 1% of the prize amount.
