November has become a remarkable month for a Carroll County woman who recently claimed her second $50,000 top prize on the Maryland Lottery’s Bonus Match 5 game in just one year.
The Westminster player first experienced the excitement in November 2024 when she won $50,000 playing Bonus Match 5. One year later, in November 2025, she received the same surprising news after another ticket delivered a $50,015 top-prize win. She delayed claiming the 2025 prize until March 4.
Although the two-time winner waited a few months before claiming her latest prize, the excitement was still fresh March 4 when she arrived at Lottery headquarters.
A longtime Lottery player, she said she has won several smaller prizes playing scratch-offs, Pick 3 and Pick 4, but Bonus Match 5 remains her favorite.
“Bonus Match 5 is my everyday game,” she said.
Her strategy is simple. She allows the terminal to randomly select her numbers and often replays numbers from previous winning tickets as well.
“If I have a winning ticket, I play it the next day,” she said.
She took the same approach in November she used numbers from earlier $400-winning tickets. She discovered her latest win while checking the Maryland Lottery app before heading to work and said she could hardly believe the result.
“I was stunned,” she said.
The winning ticket was purchased at the Giant grocery store at 405 North Center Street in Westminster. The retailer will receive a $500 bonus for selling the top-prize-winning ticket.
The winner said she is considering using her prize money to buy a new vehicle or remodel her bathroom. For now, she plans to continue working at a local retail store, a job she says gives her purpose.
“It’s an extra bonus, a little icing on the cake,” she said.
