BALTIMORE, MD – A Virginia resident’s return trip north to Maryland this week was well worth it after he claimed a $50,000 prize from a winning Pick 5 ticket. The Accomack County man nearly refused the ticket, which turned out to be the largest prize he’s ever won, breaking a streak of bad luck.
The retired grocery store manager, on his way home from a Labor Day weekend visit to Washington, D.C., stopped at River Market in Pocomoke City, one of the last Maryland Lottery retailers before crossing the border. After weeks of unsuccessful lottery attempts, he decided to give his luck another try and purchased a Pick 5 ticket for the September 1 evening drawing.
“I asked the clerk for a 50-cent ticket but she accidentally printed one for $1,” he explained. Though the clerk apologized and offered to take the ticket back, he decided to keep it, saying he had a feeling it might change his luck.
That night, his intuition proved right. “I pulled up the Lottery website and there was my Pick 5 number. I could not believe my eyes. I said to myself, ‘It’s finally happened. You’ve finally hit the number.’”
The River Market, located at 34099 Market Street, will receive a $500 bonus for selling the winning ticket. The lucky winner, who plans to use his prize money for home improvement projects, hinted that he might return to the Somerset County store in the future.
