Retired coworkers turn $1 Power Play add-on into $100K Maryland Lottery win

The longtime Powerball partners finally hit big after years of pooling their money for tickets

HYATTSVILLE, MD – Two retired federal coworkers who kept their Powerball partnership alive after leaving the U.S. Department of Transportation finally landed the win they had chased for years, scoring $100,000 after a $1 Power Play add-on doubled their prize.

The longtime Lottery partners won in the Aug. 24 Powerball drawing and claimed their prize Friday at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore.

One winner lives in Virginia and the other in Washington, DC, but the pair purchases their Powerball tickets in Maryland.

Their Lottery partnership dates back to when they worked together at the U.S. Department of Transportation. They initially pooled their money when Powerball jackpots grew large.

After retiring, the two decided to buy tickets for every drawing.

Their previous wins were typically around $5, which they used to purchase additional tickets, according to the Maryland Lottery.

That changed after the Aug. 24 drawing.

One of the partners took their tickets to her usual Maryland retailer and checked them using a Lottery vending machine. The machine instructed her to contact the Lottery, leaving her unsure what the message meant.

A neighbor who happened to be in the store explained that the message can indicate a substantial prize.

She then checked the ticket using a scanner at the counter and discovered it was worth $100,000.

The winner photographed the ticket and sent the image to her Powerball partner before leaving the store.

Their ticket matched four of the five white balls plus the red Powerball, producing a third-tier prize.

That prize ordinarily pays $50,000, but the pair had spent an additional $1 for Power Play. The 2X multiplier drawn that night doubled their winnings to $100,000.

The winning ticket was purchased at the Giant grocery store at 5815 Eastern Ave. in Hyattsville.

Neither winner had settled on plans for the money when they claimed the prize. Both told Lottery officials they are comfortably retired and have no outstanding bills.

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Key Points

• Two retired U.S. Department of Transportation coworkers won $100,000 playing Powerball together in Maryland.
• Their ticket matched four white balls plus the Powerball, and a $1 Power Play purchase doubled the prize from $50,000 to $100,000.
• Giant at 5815 Eastern Ave. in Hyattsville sold the winning ticket.