Lottery awards first Pick 5 top prize days after new game launch
By Kate Northrop
BALTIMORE, Md. — The Maryland Lottery awarded its first Pick 5 $50,000 top prize just days after the launch of the new in-state game.
An anonymous player, who goes by the nickname "True Ravens Fan," has won the Maryland Lottery's first $50,000 top prize in the state's new Pick 5 game.
On Feb. 7, the Lottery released its newest draw game in six years a day after swapping out 5 Card Cash. While part of the reason for doing away with 5 Card Cash had to do with its small percentage of sales in the Lottery's game portfolio, the Lottery was optimistic that adding the popular Pick 5 game would excite players based on its other two daily number games, Pick 3 and Pick 4.
And just days after its launch, Pick 5 has already proven to be fruitful for one lucky lottery player.
During his lunch break on Feb. 11, "True Ravens Fan" made a return visit to the store where he had bought winning scratch-off tickets before: the US Gas station on Washington Boulevard in Baltimore. Wanting to replicate his luck, he wagered two $1 straight bets using a combination of his license plate numbers.
He may not have envisioned himself making Lottery history as the game's first top prize winner, but that's exactly what happened.
The 60-year-old did not find out about the big win until after his work shift as a city inspector ended at midnight. While watching the Feb. 11 Pick 5 Midday drawing online, the winning numbers sounded particularly familiar, prompting him to view the drawing a second time. That's when he realized that the numbers on the screen, 8-4-7-5-9, matched the ones on his $2 ticket.
"It was time for me to get some good luck," the Baltimore resident told the Lottery.
The winnings, he said, will help him pay off debt and will make for some nice monetary gifts for a few close family members.
The retailer that sold the historic $50,000 winning ticket will receive a $500 bonus commission from the Lottery.
Nice win especially on your lunch break.
Seems like old people are winning everything lately.
Darn rdgrnr...you make this double nickel baby feel old.
When is my turn coming??? LOL!
The payout calculation in this story seems inaccurate. A $1 straight Pick 5 bet on the Maryland Lottery pays $50,000. So if as this article says he won for a $2 straight bet, the payout would be $100,000. Also, the Maryland Lottery's highest single bet for the Pick games is $1 per straight bet, so he would have had to purchase two separate tickets for a $2 straight bet.
Yes, you are absolutely right about the prize payout structure. To clarify, he placed two different $1 straight bets on a ticket, bringing the total price for his ticket to $2. He won the $50,000 top prize on one of those $1 straight bets. Sorry for the confusion!
Thank for the clarification, Kate. Really enjoy your thorough coverage of the industry.
Double nickel is old!
You probably got shoes that are older than me!
Thank you, that means a lot!