Waited two months to claim prize
A frequent player of all Maryland Lottery games enjoyed a huge payday by spending $1 to add the Megaplier feature to his $2 quick-pick Mega Millions ticket. The Prince George’s County resident won a $40,000 third-tier prize in the May 31 drawing, quadrupling his $10,000 windfall.
The loyal player, who works for the federal government, buys Lottery tickets and sets them aside until he has a handful to check. This has been his routine for years, but back in May, the “checking of the tickets” part was anything but routine.
“I scanned the ticket, saw the $40,000 and walked away. I could not believe it,” said the Mitchellville man. “I went back to the scanner a few minutes later and stepped away again, the $40,000 was still there.”
After a third visit to the device to recheck the third-tier win, the 65-year-old took a picture of the ticket, texted it to his sister and asked her to look up the results and confirm the prize. She did. “We’re kind of low-key people, so there was no shouting. We were plenty happy, though.”
The lucky winner explained the long delay in claiming his Mega Millions prize. “I did some research, both on the claiming process and with my accountant to determine the best way to handle the money. I knew that I had 182 days, so I wasn’t in a hurry.”
He added, “Mostly, though, I waited because the win coincided with a family member experiencing some pretty scary medical issues. Helping with all aspects of that situation kept me busy.”
Happily, claiming this $40,000 prize ranks second on the good news list. “The medical situation has improved significantly, the doctors told us this week. Prospects are very good.”
Watkins Park Liquors at 56 Watkins Park Drive in Upper Marlboro provided the Mega Millions ticket that made this story happen.
