Lanham jackpot chaser initially thought her Greenbelt ticket had won far less
LANHAM, MD – A Prince George’s County woman who calls herself a jackpot chaser spent days carrying around a Powerball ticket without realizing it was worth $50,000, finally discovering her Greenbelt purchase had delivered a five-figure payday when she took a closer look at the numbers.
The Lanham resident purchased the winning ticket at Greenway Liquors, 7533 Greenbelt Road, ahead of the July 15 Powerball drawing, according to the Maryland Lottery.
She had been heading to Safeway for groceries when the $495 million Powerball jackpot caught her attention.
Grocery trip takes a $50K turn
The woman stopped at Greenway Liquors and purchased two $4 quick-pick Powerball tickets before continuing with her shopping.
But she did not check the tickets immediately.
Days passed before she looked at the results, and even then, she initially believed she had won only a smaller prize.
She first counted three matching white balls plus the red Powerball. A second look revealed that she had actually matched four white balls and the Powerball.
That combination carried a $50,000 prize.
Second check confirms major win
Still wanting to make certain she had read the ticket correctly, the woman took it to another Maryland Lottery retailer she trusted.
The retailer confirmed the $50,000 win.
She then waited until a friend was available to drive her to Maryland Lottery headquarters, where she claimed the prize Thursday.
The winner told Lottery officials she plans to buy her friend dinner and put the remainder of the money into savings.
The Powerball jackpot continued climbing after her July win, eventually reaching $1.04 billion before a ticket sold in Illinois captured the jackpot in the Aug. 12 drawing.
Key Points
- A Lanham woman won $50,000 on a Powerball ticket purchased at Greenway Liquors at 7533 Greenbelt Road in Greenbelt.
- She waited days to check the ticket and initially thought she had matched only three white balls plus the Powerball before realizing she had matched four.
- The woman claimed her prize Thursday and plans to put most of the winnings into savings.
