Thoughts of Dad Help ‘Lucky Walmart Worker’ Find Lottery Luck

$50K BM5_Lucky Walmart Worker_webThis “Lucky Walmart Worker” won a $50,000 top prize in the Oct. 16 Bonus Match 5 drawing.

Parkville man wins $50,000 top prize on Bonus Match 5 game

A Parkville man won the $50,000 top prize in the Oct. 16 Bonus Match 5 drawing after thoughts of his dad led him to play that daily Maryland Lottery game.

The loyal player, who dubbed himself “Lucky Walmart Worker,” selects a different game to play each day and often wins small amounts. He plays his address for Pick 4, his late father’s numbers for Pick 3 and buys scratch-offs and quick-pick Bonus Match 5 tickets. The 54-year-old had stopped at his local Lottery retailer, J Convenience in Parkville, to claim a scratch-off prize on Oct. 16, and wound up buying the lucky Bonus Match 5 ticket for that night’s drawing.

“I had a $15 scratch-off that I was going to use to get my scratch-offs,” he said. “Then, I thought of my dad.”

The married Baltimore County resident decided to play Bonus Match 5 instead of scratch-offs and bought a $6 quick-pick ticket. “The numbers that came up on the ticket were the numbers that he used to play for Mega Millions,” said the “Lucky Walmart Worker.” He wondered about that coincidence and went about his day.

That night, his wife was nearly asleep at 11 p.m. when he checked his Bonus Match 5 ticket. “He kept saying, ‘I won! I won! I won!’ ” she said. “I went back to sleep. The next morning, I said, ‘Did you say you won the Lottery?’”

The happy couple came together to Lottery headquarters in Baltimore to claim the prize. The “Lucky Walmart Worker” plans to pay off loans with his prize and save the rest for a vacation with his wife. They both enjoy cruises, they said, and may be packing their bags very soon!

J Convenience is also a winner. The Baltimore County store located at 8765 Satyr Hill Road in Parkville will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling the top-prize ticket.