EDGEWATER, MD — A southern Anne Arundel County man has claimed a $50,000 third-tier Powerball prize, continuing a family legacy of lottery wins. The fortunate winner, who purchased his ticket at 24-7 Tobacco & Grocery on Mayo Road in Edgewater, credits his late uncle’s big lottery win in the 1980s as his inspiration.
The winner, an avid hunter and delivery service worker, recounted the moment he discovered his win. “I saw that I won $50,000 on the screen. It was the first thing that popped up,” he told Maryland Lottery officials.
The player’s uncle had won $1,000,000 in the Maryland Lotto, the state’s original in-state jackpot game, before it was replaced by Multi-Match in 2006. The uncle’s winnings were paid out over 20 years, with $50,000 per year—a sum that the recent Powerball winner now matches in a single prize.
“My uncle played the same numbers every week until he won,” said the man, who has adopted a similar strategy by regularly playing Powerball, Mega Millions, and Multi-Match using his uncle’s numbers. However, in a twist of fate, the winning numbers on August 7 came from a quick-pick line on his $18 ticket, not the numbers he had carefully selected. The quick-pick line matched four white balls and the Powerball, while the other two lines on his ticket had no matches.
Despite the surprise of winning with different numbers, the man feels his uncle might still have had a hand in his good fortune, watching over him from above. “This was very surprising,” he said, as he considers how to spend his unexpected windfall.
The winner remains undecided on his plans for the prize but is grateful for the stroke of luck that followed in his uncle’s footsteps.
