Claims $50,000 top prize from Feb. 17 drawing
An Anne Arundel County man with a penchant for picking significant dates for his Lottery wagers may have another special date to add to his lineup. That’s because the Brooklyn Park resident hit it big on Presidents’ Day, winning a $50,000 top prize in the Bonus Match 5 game’s Monday drawing.
The 72-year-old passport clerk said he purchased his lucky ticket on a well-deserved holiday from processing passport applications at his U.S. Postal Service office. The Bonus Match 5 fan said he played using a combination of numbers randomly quick-picked by the Maryland Lottery terminal and a series of numbers made up of personally important numbers and dates.
While watching television later that night, the loyal player fished the ticket out of his pocket. He checked the results of the evening drawing using the Lottery’s mobile phone app. After scanning his ticket, the drawing results flashed onto the screen of his hand-held device. Soon, a smile started to spread across his face. The same numbers that were on his ticket were also at the top of the results on his phone, giving him the $50,000 top prize.
“I was very happy and hollered to my wife in the next room that I had just got a piece of change,” said the winner.
Although he spends his days helping folks obtain travel documents, the winner doesn’t plan to use his prize to get another stamp in his own passport. He told Lottery officials his prize would go toward paying bills and pursuing another win with his special numbers.
The lucky man purchased his ticket from Express Mart convenience store located at 15709 Hall Road in Bowie. For its role in this lucky top-prize win, the store will receive a $500 retailer bonus from the Lottery.
This win was just another bright spot in the store’s streak of recent wins. Express Mart has sold 11 winning tickets of $10,000 or more from 2018 to 2020, including two $50,000 winning Powerball tickets, a $21,135 winning Racetrax ticket and a $20,200 2020 Cash scratch-off.