April Fools’ Day is the perfect occasion for some light-hearted pranks or jokes, but maybe not such a good day to share the news that you just won a large Lottery prize. Convincing others that she truly won $124,630 on April 1 became an issue for a Pasadena player who purchased a winning FAST PLAY Lucky Numbers ticket.
Although FAST PLAY games are both quick to play and win, the lucky woman said she left Grand Ritchie Liquors in Pasadena after purchasing her $10 ticket with plans to play the game at home. When she reviewed the ticket, the Anne Arundel County resident quickly spotted a winning number match. Underneath the matching number were the words “Progressive Jackpot.”
“I was in shock. Although I knew I won, I got out a magnifying glass to make sure I was seeing the numbers correctly,” said the winner.
The true test was convincing her husband that she wasn’t playing an April Fools’ prank when she told him about her Lottery luck. “I knew it was going to be a challenge, because there was no other way to say it than, ‘You aren’t going to believe this,’ ” said the winner.
The pair claimed the prize at Lottery headquarters this week, telling officials that the $124,630 prize will go into their savings for retirement.
Also in the money is their lucky Lottery retailer, Grand Ritchie Liquors. The Anne Arundel County business located at 8149 Ritchie Highway in Pasadena earns a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling a winning FAST PLAY ticket with a prize of $100,000 or larger.
The Lucky Numbers game went on sale in February 2020 with 40 progressive jackpot prizes. The progressive jackpot starts at $100,000 and grows with the sale of each ticket until a player buys a progressive jackpot-winning ticket. In addition to the progressive jackpot, the game offers prizes ranging from $10 to $50,000.
