Upper Marlboro, MD – June 12, 2019 – Lottery players’ excitement grew last week as the Mega Millions jackpot shot up to $530 million for the Friday, June 7 drawing. Although a California ticket holder gets to claim that big prize, Maryland did have a $30,000 winner because an Upper Marlboro man added the Megaplier option to his lucky ticket.
The 63-year-old “Jackpot Chaser” enjoys playing both Mega Millions and Powerball. Last Thursday, he had his wife pick up a quick-pick Mega Millions ticket for him at Zip In, located at 6801 Livingston Road in Oxon Hill, because of the size of the jackpot.
“She normally plays her own numbers, but she got a random for me,” said the Prince George’s County resident. “And, I won!”
“Jackpot Chaser” didn’t watch the drawing Friday night because he and his wife were enjoying a night out at Live! Casino. When the lucky player realized the drawing was over, he checked mdlottery.com on his phone for the winning numbers.
“When I saw I matched three numbers, I thought, ‘I got something,’ ” he said, smiling. “And, when I saw I had four numbers and the Mega Ball, I got a chill.”
“Jackpot Chaser” checked the Mega Millions payout chart and saw that matching four white balls and the gold Mega Ball delivers a $10,000 win. However, he had paid an extra $1 to add the Megaplier option, which multiplied his prize by 3 for the June 7 drawing.
After scanning his ticket a few more times to verify the win, “Jackpot Chaser” tried to claim his prize by redeeming the ticket at a local casino. His prize was too high, however, and the retired Verizon employee had to visit Lottery headquarters in Baltimore to redeem his winning ticket.
The father of an adult daughter and son and grandfather of seven reports that he has experienced significant Lottery wins in the past. He has already paid off much of his debt so he plans to use some of this prize toward his daughter’s upcoming wedding. The happy winner will save the rest of his windfall.