A Beltsville man is no stranger to big lottery wins, having hit for $100,000 many years ago in Washington, D.C., but his recent $50,000 prize in Maryland came on a Pick 5 ticket that nearly ended up in the garbage.
Though he still buys DC Lottery tickets from time to time, he used the proceeds of his first big win to buy a house in Maryland, and has become a fan of the Maryland Lottery.
“He’ll probably want to stop on the way home and buy some tickets,” his wife said April 24 when the two claimed the $50,000 prize at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore.
The Pick 5 straight bet that won his $50,000 prize almost didn’t happen. When he was buying tickets on April 15, he was looking to play in a boxed bet configuration but the clerk accidentally printed a straight bet ticket with the numbers 42766.
Initially, that ticket ended up in a trash can, and was on the verge of being cancelled. The Beltsville winner, however, decided at the last instant to rescue the ticket from the garbage, and a few hours later, it delivered a $50,000 prize in the April 15 evening drawing.
“I am happy with it,” he said.
Just as the winnings from that DC Lottery ticket many years ago went into a house, so will the proceeds of this win. The husband and wife report some patio and basement work are planned. Indeed, they had already made arrangements to have some of the work done before winning.
The ticket was retrieved from the trash at the 7-Eleven store at 11422 Cherry Hill Road in Beltsville, and the retailer will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery.
