Traveler Bags Maryland Souvenir: $50,000 Powerball Prize

California resident bought lucky ticket in Dec. 6 drawing

A California woman who visited Bethesda in December will return home with the best Maryland souvenir ever – a $50,000 Powerball prize.

The Corona, Calif., resident arrived at Maryland Lottery headquarters with her cousin in tow to claim her prize from the Dec. 6 drawing. One of her two sets of lucky numbers delivered the big win, giving the occasional jackpot player 50,000 reasons to celebrate.

The single mom loves to travel and reports that she was “gallivanting” when she stopped in Maryland to visit her cousin in Bethesda. “We hadn’t seen each other in 37 years,” she said. Lottery luck met her at Talbert’s Ice & Beverage Service in Montgomery County.

“I stopped for chips and a drink,” she said. The Powerball jackpot amount – which was $193 million at the time – caught her eye, so she decided to try her luck. The 49-year-old bought two lines of numbers and left the store located at 5234 River Road with a $4 ticket in hand.

The lucky lady was the only person in Maryland to win a $50,000 prize in the Dec. 6 Powerball drawing and one of 22 nationwide to do so. The native of the Philippines plans to save her windfall for day-to-day expenses to make life easier for herself and her teenage son.