A Calvert County man was leaving the gym and stopped on his way home to play a couple of games of Racetrax. The result: a $31,118.30 win.
He said it was his lucky day.
“I said, ‘Let me go for it!’,” he recalled Oct. 6 when he claimed his prize at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore.
The winning numbers for the Aug. 29 race when he placed his bet were 7, 9, 11 and 12 and the winner played a Superfecta Box with the numbers 9, 7, 11 and 12, which returned the $31,118.30 prize.
“I almost hit it straight. That would have given me over $200,000,” the big winner said. Winning on a Superfecta straight bet does yield a substantially higher prize, but his bet was a Superfecta box with a 10-cent bet for each horse to finish in all four possible top spots, so even if the horses had finished in the order of his bet, his payout would have been similar to his $31,118.30 score.
The father of two said he has been playing his combo for years. Many Racetrax players use the Superfecta box configuration with a 10-cent bet and play four of the long odds horses, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, and 7. Since the odds are very long, the 10-cent bets pay a solid return.
According to the Southern Maryland resident, he used to gamble at casinos and race tracks, but a friend got him into the Racetrax game. The IT worker plans on using his money to pay off bills and he is taking his family on a vacation near the end of the year.
He bought the winning ticket at the 7-Eleven at 7753B Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard in Glen Burnie. For selling the prize, the Anne Arundel County retailer receives of 1% bonus of $311.
