Baltimore, MD — A retiree from Prince George’s County has won $576,900 by purchasing the same Bonus Match 5 combination 25 times for the July 21 drawing, effectively draining the game’s prize pool.
The player, a regular Bonus Match 5 participant, matched all five regular numbers on all 25 tickets. Typically, the top prize for Bonus Match 5 is $50,000, but the prize pool is capped at $600,000. When more than 12 top-prize winning tickets are sold, the pool is divided equally among the winners.
Another player in Harford County coincidentally purchased one ticket with the same winning combination, resulting in 26 winning tickets each worth $23,076.
“I’ll be happy just to have my house paid off,” said the Prince George’s County winner, who is retired from federal service after 30 years.
She has been playing Bonus Match 5 for many years, often buying multiple tickets with the same combination after a suggestion from another player. For the July 21 drawing, she purchased 25 tickets.
Upon discovering her win, she called and texted her son, who accompanied her to claim the prize. She plans to use the winnings to pay off her mortgage, get her finances in order, and help her sister financially. A celebratory vacation is also on the horizon.
The 7-Eleven at 8200 Martin Luther King Jr. Highway in Glenarden, where the tickets were purchased, will receive a bonus of $5,769, equal to 1% of the winnings for each of the 25 tickets.
The prize for the 26th ticket, sold at the Forest Hill Sunoco on Rock Spring Road in Forest Hill, remains unclaimed as of July 24.
The Prince George’s County winner plans to continue playing her favorite game with some modifications to her purchase strategy while keeping the winning numbers’ significance private to maintain her anonymity.
