 Two Metrobus drivers from the Montgomery County Division proudly hoist their Powerball pool’s portion of the historic $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot. |
20 members will split $50,000 prize from Jan. 13 drawing
A pool of 20 Powerball players calling themselves the “Montgomery Metro” winners split a ticket to Luckytown in the world record Jan. 13 jackpot drawing! The Metrobus workers from the Montgomery County Division teamed up for a chance to win the $1.6 billion jackpot. They missed that prize but did match four numbers plus the Power Ball to win a $50,000 prize.
Two representatives from the group, including the organizer of the pool, claimed the winning ticket for the group at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore on Friday, Jan. 15. The workers purchased 100 tickets, one of the women said, and she didn’t realize they had won until a co-worker woke her up with a text announcing the great news.
Checking numbers on 100 tickets can take a lot of time but the second pool winner said Lottery luck helped in that respect, too. “I was searching through the packet of copied tickets and, for some reason, the third ticket jumped right out at me,” she said. What a night!
The career drivers typically start work at 4 a.m. but could not help spending nearly an hour of their sleeping time discussing their good fortune. The prize, split 20 ways, amounts to $2,500 per person before taxes. The duo say the prize money will most likely go toward paying off bills. “This is an extra paycheck or two for some of us,” they said.
The prize was one of 24 $50,000 prizes awarded in Maryland for the drawing, which also created three $1 million state winners. The group found the lucky ticket at Freddy’s Liquors located at 2000 West Lanvale Street in Baltimore City.