An Air Force veteran from Upper Marlboro who was assigned to guard Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon during the Vietnam War has a set of pre-selected numbers he uses when he plays Keno.
“I keep playing my numbers and waiting for the Lottery to hit me with a win,” he said. That strategy paid off on Oct. 25, when the 77-year-old placed a 7-spot wager, playing 11, 22, 33, 44, 55, 66 and 77, and added the Super Bonus multiplier feature. All seven numbers came up with a multiplier of 4 for a $10,000 win.
“Unknown,” as the winner nicknamed himself, prefers Keno over most other games because he feels luckier when he plays it. The lucky man has won single- and double-digit payoffs often enough to make it interesting. His $10,000 win is his biggest prize ever.
As for plans for the windfall, the Prince George’s County resident said, “I’m going to put this in the bank. Every penny I’ve got, I need.” Beyond that, he is looking forward to planning a trip to Africa, probably next year, with his wife of 24 years.
“I might have a good dinner, too,” he added.
He played his winning Keno game at Urban Market at 9502 Allentown Road in Fort Washington, which is “Unknown’s” preferred place to play. “The people are nice and considerate,” he says of the staff. For selling a winning Keno ticket of $10,000 or more, Urban Market earns a bonus from the Lottery of $100, equal to 1 percent of the prize.