Every once in a while, a Silver Spring Keno player works the same shift at a Montgomery County restaurant as his longtime friend. When their schedules align, the two Maryland Lottery fans meet before work to play a few rounds of Keno at Metro Coffee Convenience, a Rockville business located midway between their homes.
More than just their work shifts aligned last week, however. Lottery luck inserted itself into the equation and the happy result for the 23-year-old was a $12,500 Keno win.
“I really do only play when I’m on the way to work with my friend,” he said. “We did it once when we were both early and we just stuck with it. It was just something to do while we were hanging out, killing time.”
Our Keno champion picked random numbers — 8, 12, 18, 21, 25, 51, 53, 69 and 79 — for his 9-spot game and added the Super Bonus multiplier feature. “When we checked the results on the Lottery app later during a break, we were amazed,” he said. “We both tried to talk, to say anything, but nothing came out. It was crazy.”
The Montgomery County resident has planned a vacation with his girlfriend for early 2019 and will upgrade the trip with his prize. “It already looked to be a great trip. Now, it’ll look even better.”
Metro Coffee Convenience at 202 Park Road in Rockville is where the pair will meet as long as they work together. “We’ve talked about changing locations once or twice in the past,” said the happy winner. “That idea is now dead.”
The lucky sale gave the retailer a bonus, too. For selling a winning Keno ticket of $10,000 or more, Metro Coffee Convenience earns a bonus of $125 from the Lottery — equal to 1 percent of the prize.