Mom stops at deli and ends up with life-changing lottery win, Maryland officials say
A longtime lottery player’s persistence finally paid off in Maryland, officials said.
The mom, who claimed her prize as “Ms. Anonymous,” has been using the lottery as an “exciting outlet that potentially pays” for over a decade and has won a few thousand dollars over the years — but nothing “prepared her for the moment she discovered” a game with a progressive jackpot, officials said in a March 5 news release.
She’s a fan of the Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 and Multi-Match games — or at least she was until she discovered the Fast Play Grand Progressive game with a progressive jackpot.
She bought her winning ticket for $10 while picking up a few things from Lucky’s Deli & Market, officials said. She “casually reviewed the Fast Play ticket, realized she won but was unsure of the amount.”
When the retailer shared that she’d won the $104,438 jackpot, “the reality of it hit home,” officials said.
“I rushed to my car to take a moment to process what had just happened,” she told officials. Her adult son was in the car, and they both took some time to soak in the news before returning home.
“Ms. Anonymous” said she plans to invest some of her winnings, save some for her children’s future and pay off her next semester of graduate school. The “dedicated humanitarian” will also use some of the prize to support the mission of a nonprofit she’s involved with.
And she’ll keep playing the lottery, her fun hobby and favorite form of entertainment because of the potential financial reward.
“Yes, I’ll play again,” she told officials. “In fact, I plan on buying a few more tickets on my way home tonight.”
The Fast Play Grand Progressive game starts with a $100,000 jackpot that grows with each ticket sold until a player buys a winning ticket, officials said.
