Bethesda man buys lucky ticket in May 19 drawing
Watching YouTube videos paid big dividends for a Bethesda resident, who saw a segment about a Maryland Lottery win that inspired his purchase of a winning Powerball ticket in the May 19 drawing.
The 48-year-old took a chance on a $10 Quick-Pick ticket and won a whopping $50,000! He matched four numbers and the Powerball.
The lucky man, who hails from Ethiopia, now calls Montgomery County his home. He likes to watch YouTube videos about his homeland and last week happened to see a video about a Maryland Lottery player’s scratch-off win. Inspired by that video, he purchased a Powerball ticket at Convenience Express in Silver Spring for the Saturday night drawing.
Days later, the lucky man checked his ticket at a nearby retailer. He was greeted by a message congratulating him on winning and displaying the size of his prize. “There were so many zeroes, my head swam for a bit,” said the happy man.
The winner, who is on the path to U.S. citizenship, said the prize arrived at a great time. Although he is a chef trained in French cuisine, the Powerball player cannot work as a chef until his path to citizenship is complete.
“This win gives me the equivalent of an annual salary,” he said. His dream is to open his own kitchen and have a small business specializing in salads.
The player’s Lottery retailer now has two big wins to its name this year. The store located at 948 Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring was also home to a $100,000 Maximum Money scratch-off win in January.
The jackpot is on a roll and set for $50 million for the Saturday, May 26 drawing. The cash option is $29.1 million.