North East, MD – A Cecil County woman who usually buys just one Pick 5 ticket per drawing struck it big when she accidentally purchased two tickets with the same number, netting her a total of $100,000.
The longtime lottery player selected the numbers 78048 for the Sept. 30 drawing, a combination she has been playing consistently for about a year. When those numbers hit, both of her $1 straight-bet tickets paid out $50,000 each.
With her husband by her side, she claimed her prize at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore on Oct. 1. Though he doesn’t normally play, he said he often encourages her to use numbers spotted on license plates or those tied to family dates.
“It just struck my fancy,” the winner said, adding that she has no immediate plans for the winnings. With children, grandchildren, and even a great-grandchild, she admitted there will be plenty of ways to put the money to use.
This is not her first time winning. In 2014, she scored a $10,000 prize on a $20 scratch-off ticket, making this windfall ten times larger than her previous payout.
She purchased the winning tickets at the Wawa store on Pulaski Highway in North East. The retailer will receive a $1,000 bonus — $500 for each winning ticket.
