 An anonymous Westminster man claimed the $2.1 million Multi-Match jackpot from the March 24 drawing. |
Westminster man claims top prize in Maryland-only jackpot game.
A Westminster man checking his Maryland Lottery Multi-Match ticket experienced a jolt of red-hot excitement reminiscent of his days aboard a Baltimore City Fire Engine en route to battle blazes. The 85-year-old retired fire captain was startled to discover he held the winning ticket for the game’s $2.1 million jackpot.
The lucky Carroll County resident, who plays no other Maryland Lottery games, made Multi-Match his game of choice shortly after it evolved from the original Lotto game in 2006. “Mostly I just win small amounts,” he said, “but occasionally I win something big.” His previous top prize was $125, a figure dwarfed by the March 24 jackpot. His March 24 jackpot hit is the first Multi-Match win of 2016.
The loyal player discovered the win on the morning of March 25 after breakfast. He was sipping his coffee when he checked the numbers online. The lucky man matched the results to his ticket one number at a time, circling the numbers as he went so he could quickly figure the number of total matches. When he circled his sixth number in one row, he couldn’t believe his luck. He checked the results at least a dozen times to confirm his win.
The lucky man, who retired after serving more than two decades with the Baltimore City Fire Department, now enjoys woodworking and antiques. He opted for the Multi-Match jackpot’s lump-sum payment, which will deliver an estimated $1.7 million before taxes.
Will the money change his life? Not really, he said. He has no immediate plans for spending the prize or for changing his lifestyle or activities. That means Lottery retailers can look for him to keep playing Multi-Match. His Lottery luck is still working because his ticket for the drawing following his jackpot win brought him another $7 prize.
The Lottery retailer that sold him the winning ticket also benefits. For selling a top-prize scratch-off, Safeway #1616 located at 444 WMC Drive in Westminster earned a bonus of $2,100 from the Lottery.