A Maryland couple turned a $5 lottery ticket into a $4 million windfall after replaying numbers from a previous quick pick.
Silver Spring, MD – A Montgomery County couple is planning to buy a new home after winning a $4 million Mega Millions prize with a ticket purchased in Silver Spring, according to the Maryland Lottery.
The pair, who chose to remain anonymous, matched the first five numbers in the March 10 Mega Millions drawing but missed the Mega Ball, securing a second-tier prize.
Key Points
• Silver Spring couple wins $4 million Mega Millions prize
• Winning ticket purchased at Giant grocery store on New Hampshire Avenue
• Couple plans to buy a new home with the winnings
Replay of numbers leads to big win
The couple said they regularly play Mega Millions and decided to reuse a number combination previously issued to them through a quick pick ticket.
Although those numbers had not won anything the week before, they chose to try them again.
“Something about the numbers the Lottery machine gave us just felt right,” one of the winners said after claiming the prize.
Multiplier boosted prize
Matching the first five numbers normally earns a $1 million prize in Mega Millions.
However, each $5 ticket includes a built-in multiplier that increases non-jackpot prizes.
In this case, the multiplier was 4X, boosting the couple’s prize to $4 million.
Plans for the winnings
The couple said they were stunned when they realized how much they had won.
“Our hearts were beating so fast when we realized how much we won,” one of them said. “We just looked at each other trying to figure out what to say.”
They plan to use the winnings to purchase a new home, something they said has been on their wish list for years.
The winning ticket was purchased at the Giant grocery store located at 13490 New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring.
The store will receive a $2,500 bonus from the Maryland Lottery for selling the ticket.