Thumbs up for Richard’s newly found riches |
Baltimore man claims winning taxes-paid Bonus Match 5 ticket
A Baltimore man who made a pit stop to buy a Slim Jim for Sarge, his friend’s pit bull, is glad he added two Bonus Match 5 tickets to his purchase. Richard Rivera won $50,000 on Saturday, Nov. 16, with taxes paid under an extended special promotion.
“It was a crazy day,” Richard said. The radiator hose on his 2003 Ford Super Duty van was leaking and he needs the vehicle, which has 240,000 miles on it, to travel to and from Anne Arundel County. He works for a Crownsville home improvement company. That Saturday morning, he headed over to his friend’s house to work on his van and stopped at a 7-Eleven on the way. A regular Bonus Match 5 player, Richard wanted to buy his tickets for the evening drawing as well as the Slim Jim for Sarge.
“I never stop by without a Slim Jim,” Richard said. “I thought, ‘Hopefully, I’ll win enough to pay for the van parts.’ ”
The 46-year-old has won $500 on a Maryland Lottery scratch-off but on that Saturday morning, he had not yet won any large prize on Lottery terminal games. He hoped the odds were in his favor and let the machine quick pick his numbers. “I play a lot and Bonus Match 5 is my favorite game,” said the Maryland native.
He and his friend worked on the van all day and sat down to watch the TV evening news. Richard only caught the first three winning Bonus Match 5 numbers of 4-11-19, which matched numbers on one of his tickets. With growing excitement, Richard tracked down the last two numbers and confirmed he was a winner. His friend’s initial reaction was disbelief and then their celebration began.
Richard has definite plans for his winnings. “I’ve got a lot of bills to pay off,” he said, “and then I’ve got to get a diamond ring.” His girlfriend of four years lives six hours away in Erie, Pa., so a wedding proposal is in the future, he said. His three brothers already know about his good fortune and Richard plans to surprise his mom with the news and give everyone a great holiday.
Want to visit our winner’s lucky store? Head over to the 7-Eleven at 3393 Laurel Fort Meade Road in Laurel.