WALDORF, Md. — A Charles County man walked into Maryland Lottery headquarters this week with a winning $50,000 Pick 5 ticket — a surprise even to him, as he usually sticks to scratch-offs.
The truck driver from Waldorf said he rarely plays the Lottery and only planned to pick up a few scratch-offs at Foods In, a Lottery retailer located at 12549 Mattawoman Drive. But his plans changed when his father, who was with him at the time, offered a different suggestion.
“He told me to play Pick 5 using the numbers on his license plate,” the winner said. “I bought the ticket just to humor him.”
That decision turned out to be worth $50,000.
Later that evening, the son used his father’s Lottery app to check the ticket and was stunned to see the results. “I saw the 5 and then a string of zeroes,” he recalled. “The adrenaline really started pumping.”
Dad’s hunch becomes son’s payoff
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The unexpected win came from a random moment — and a father’s “good feeling” about his license plate digits. Now, the lucky winner says the money will be used to eliminate debt and help get ahead financially.
The retailer, Foods In, will receive a $500 bonus from the Maryland Lottery for selling the top-prize winning ticket.