Wins with Keno 8-spot wager in Frederick
A roofer from West Virginia who won $10,002 playing Keno last month was visibly relieved to turn in his lucky ticket at Maryland Lottery headquarters. The 19-year-old, who was in Maryland visiting his mother when he played Keno and won, can’t wait to put his prize in the bank.
“It’s been nerve-wracking holding on to this until I was able to get to Baltimore,” said the Monongah resident. “I’m glad to be here, to finally claim the prize.”
In August, the teen traveled to Frederick to visit his mom. He stopped by Ballenger Creek Pike Exxon for a snack and saw the store’s Lottery games.
“My mom’s good friend is a big Keno fan,” he said. “She’s always talking about how much fun it is so I figured I’d give it a try.” Playing an 8-spot ticket for five games, the novice Keno player picked only numbers ending with 9. “I chose 9’s on a whim, no real reason,” he said.
Before heading home, the lucky roofer left his winning ticket with his mother’s friend. “I asked her to check the numbers for me,” he said, and was hoping that “maybe the luck she’s had would rub off on it.” A day later, he got a call from that same family friend asking him to visit again.
“She didn’t say anything about the ticket, it was sort of mysterious,” he said. “Keno didn’t even enter my mind.” When he got word about his big win, he was stunned. “It took me a minute to remember the Keno ticket,” he said. “I play so infrequently that I’d already forgotten it.”
The happy winner said he can now quit worrying about building up his savings account in case of hard times. “It’ll feel good putting this money in the bank,” he said.
Also feeling good about his win are the folks at his lucky retailer. The Frederick store located at 5870 Ballenger Creek Pike will receive a $100 bonus from the Lottery for selling a winning Keno ticket of $10,000 and up.