PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, MARYLAND – A mom from Naples, Fla., was cleaning out a book bag late one night when she rediscovered a Powerball ticket she purchased months earlier while visiting Maryland relatives.
The native Marylander said she buys Maryland Lottery games whenever she returns home. On June 25, when she and her dad were eating at Texas Ribs & BBQ in Clinton, she purchased a $10 quick-pick Powerball ticket for the June 26 drawing.
The 32-year-old didn’t give another thought to the ticket or the drawing results. She returned home to Florida and months passed. Around 1 a.m. one morning, while cleaning out her book bag, the mom rediscovered the ticket. She wondered how it got in the bag and, then, whether it carried any Lottery luck.
Pulling up the Maryland Lottery app on her phone, she scanned the ticket five or six times, not believing her eyes. Feeling groggy because of the late hour, she felt sure she was dreaming when she saw the ticket was worth $50,000! “It can’t be real,” she remembers thinking.
The prize arrived at a great time. The lucky winner said she plans to put the windfall toward a family vacation and boost her savings account. Her Lottery retailer, Texas Ribs & BBQ located at 7701 Old Branch Avenue in Prince George’s County, could be a great spot to buy a Powerball ticket for tonight’s drawing. A $363 million jackpot is up for grabs with a cash option of $265 million.