Traveling Multi-Match Maven Unpacks Jackpot-Winning Ticket

Claims $500,000 prize from June 29 drawing

A lifelong Montgomery County Multi-Match player who never lost faith in her lucky numbers came home from an out-of-state trip to a welcome surprise.

Someone had hit the game’s $500,000 jackpot on June 29 and, even better, the winning ticket hailed from Broadway Pizza in Rockville, which is one of her favorite Maryland Lottery retailers. Could she be the winner? The answer: yes!

“It was a great way to end her vacation,” said the lucky player’s friend as they relaxed in the Winner’s Circle at Lottery headquarters after claiming the jackpot prize.

The entrepreneur has played Lottery games for decades since moving to Maryland. Although small wins came her way, the jackpot remained elusive until now. Her Lottery luck took a winning turn on the day she cashed in a winning Multi-Match ticket at Broadway Pizza. Knowing that she was leaving Maryland for her trip and would miss a few drawings, the grandmother of three reinvested her small prize in another Multi-Match ticket for multiple drawings. She was so busy over the next week or so, the lucky player never checked the winning numbers for any drawings before returning to Maryland.

Only when she arrived at a Lottery retailer and scanned her ticket did the mother of three adult children realize that she was, indeed, the jackpot winner! The happy player shared the great news with her husband and then consulted the Lottery’s Customer Resource Center director, Patricia Wongus-Dorsey, about her options in taking the jackpot as an annuity vs. a cash prize. Ultimately, she chose the cash option.

“Patricia was so lovely on the phone,” she said. “I had so many questions and I called her back several times.”

Our winner was the fifth of six players to hit a Multi-Match jackpot in 2017. She plans to save the prize to enjoy in retirement and share some of the winnings with her children.

Her lucky Lottery retailer, Broadway Pizza, is also celebrating. The Montgomery County business located at 7965 Tuckerman Lane in Rockville earns a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling a jackpot-winning ticket.

There’s still time to buy tickets for tonight’s Multi-Match drawing, which has a jackpot of $700,000. The cash option is $350,000 (before taxes).