Silver Spring grandfather wins $770K Multi-Match jackpot after switching games
SILVER SPRING, MD – A longtime lottery player from Montgomery County made a last-minute switch from national games to Maryland’s in-state Multi-Match — a decision that resulted in a $770,000 jackpot win that went unnoticed in his car for over a week.
The winner, who goes by the alias “Venado,” bought the lucky $10 Multi-Match ticket on November 5 at Bel Pre Wine, located at 2251 Bel Pre Road in Silver Spring. Despite hitting the jackpot, the ticket sat in his vehicle until November 13, when he finally checked it.
It was only then that the family realized the magnitude of the win. After returning to the store and asking the clerk to verify the ticket, the reaction made it clear something was unusual. Still unsure, the man called his son to share the news. The son, cautious of potential scams, sent his wife to verify the situation.
The daughter-in-law arrived and began the process of confirming the numbers. She quickly located a post on the Maryland Lottery website reporting a winning ticket sold at the same Silver Spring location. Comparing the published numbers with the 15 lines printed on the ticket, she found one line that matched all six numbers.
The family scheduled an appointment and claimed the prize the next day at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. The winner, a grandfather, said a portion of the winnings will benefit his grandchildren.
The Multi-Match ticket carried odds of roughly 1 in 2 million, significantly better than the national Mega Millions and Powerball games. The win marks the sixth Multi-Match jackpot claimed in Maryland this year.
Bel Pre Wine will receive a $1,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
