A Charles County resident who typically plays Maryland Lottery scratch-offs enjoyed powerful results when he added a jackpot game. In mid-December, instead of purchasing just instant tickets, the 62-year-old bought two Powerball quick-pick tickets and won $1 million!
The retired Giant grocery store employee was running errands on December 16, 2019, when he decided to stop at New Market Citgo to purchase holiday scratch-offs as stocking stuffers for his family. While there, on a whim, he also bought two Powerball tickets for the Dec. 18 drawing.
“I started freaking out,” he said. “I thought it was $1,000.” After checking his ticket’s prize with the cashier, the Powerball player realized he needed to add three zeros to the end of that prize amount.
“I sat in the truck for about a half hour to get myself together,” he said. “Then, I called and told my wife.”
“He’s a jokester, so I didn’t believe him” said the winner’s smiling wife who accompanied him to claim the prize. “He said, ‘Sorry to bother you at work, but I have something very important to tell you.’”
The winner then read the numbers off to his wife while she checked the website using her computer. Finally, she believed him! After finding out how to claim the prize, the couple put the ticket away and celebrated with a special dinner that night. They decided to wait until after the New Year to claim the $1 million prize.
The La Plata resident plans to spend his prize on truck repairs and put the rest of the windfall into his savings account.
Our Powerball winner isn’t the only one walking away with a prize. The New Market Citgo located at 29290 Three Notch Road in Charlotte Hall receives a bonus of $2,500 for selling a second-tier winning Powerball ticket. Stop by New Market Citgo or another Lottery retailer to get your ticket for the Saturday, Jan. 4 drawing. The jackpot has rolled to an estimated $237 million with a $160.7 million cash option.
