Winning $130 playing the same five numbers nine times per drawing was such a pleasant surprise for a Montgomery County man, he kept playing that way. If $130 surprised him, imagine how he felt after winning $450,000 from the Jan. 17 Bonus Match 5 drawing.
“I’m an on and off player. One day, I just used the same numbers and won $130. That was exciting, so I kept replaying,” he said Jan. 20 when he claimed his big prize at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore.
Why nine? One of the bonuses with the daily Bonus Match 5 is there’s a discount for buying in bulk: players get one combination for $1, three for $2, six for $4, seven for $5 or nine for $6.
When the winner’s usual combination of 7, 11, 27, 34 and 35 hit, “I thought it was a joke,” he said.
Of course, then he realized it wasn’t, and that’s when he started to get the jitters. His win came on a Saturday night and he realized he couldn’t claim the prize until Lottery offices opened on Tuesday because of the Monday MLK Day holiday. He ended up being nervous for two days straight.
“Winning was a nerve-wracking experience,” he said.
The winnings, he said, will go into a college fund for his grandchildren, and there will be a celebratory family dinner.
His winning ticket was purchased at the Harris Teeter store at 22700 Sweet Shrub Drive in Clarksburg. The Montgomery County retailer will receive a $4,500 bonus for selling nine top prizes.
