Recent Lottery Wins by So. Marylanders

Waldorf Racetrax player Stays on Winning Track

$11,730.80 prize is one of several recent scores for lucky woman

Loyal Racetrax player Felicia Wade of Waldorf has been on a winning track for a few weeks now. Playing a Superfecta Box bet of 10 cents on Aug. 17 resulted in an $11,730.80 payday.

But that was just one of her recent wins. Two days later, on Aug. 19, she also played the virtual ponies in the simulated horseracing game and hit for another $2,000. On top of that, last month she played a series of Pick 4 combinations of the numbers 1, 0, 1 and 7. When the number came up in the midday drawing on July 29, she ended up with a stack of winning tickets worth about $60,000!

The 49-year-old danced her way into the Buddy Roogow Winner's Circle at Maryland Lottery headquarters, followed by her sister Tamara Wade, after collecting her winnings. Asked about the reason behind her good fortune playing Racetrax, Felicia said, "I was just feeling lucky. I just study the board and pick four numbers."

She placed a bet on horses 3, 5, 8 and 11 to finish the race in first, second, third and fourth place in any order—and they did!

A federal government employee, Felicia did not have any specific plans for her winnings other than sharing some of the windfall with her son. She wants to spread the word that real people are Lottery winners, saying she once was skeptical. "I never believed before," she said, "and then a clerk checked my ticket." As was the case with much of what she had to say when she was picking up her winnings, this comment ended in laughter.

Also having a reason to smile is her lucky Lottery retailer. Dash In #1130 at 11290 Billingsley Road in Waldorf earned a $117 bonus from the Lottery for selling a winning Racetrax ticket of $10,000 or more. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize.

Waldorf Man Finds Second $50,000 Scratch-off Win in Four Years

Only four years ago, Mark Samuelson of Waldorf found $50,000 worth of Maryland Lottery luck hiding in a Show Me the Money scratch-off. Good fortune just found him again! He added another $50,000 to his bank account after winning the prize playing the Cash Explosion instant ticket last Friday.

The 55-year-old avid scratch-off player recalls that it was raining on Friday when he decided to play scratch-off games. He went to Waldorf's Foods In and tried to get money out of the ATM. Alas, a message said his card had expired. Mark was determined to play.

"I remembered that I had a piece of mail at home with the new card in it," he said.

Mark returned home, fetched the new card and came back to Foods In, which is located at 12549 Mattawoman Drive. He successfully got the needed cash out of the ATM and bought his games. The Charles County resident purchased five Cash Explosion instant tickets because he had won small amounts on the game in the past. He scratched them all off and was shocked as he revealed numerous matches and money bags on one of the $20 instant tickets.

"As I scratched the prize amounts, I saw a $1,000 and I knew right away it was going to be a lot," said the winner. "When I saw the first $10,000, I knew it was really big."

Mark continued to reveal the prize amounts and needed help to tally his win!

"It was so mixed up I had to add it all up with a calculator," he said. The loyal player went back to Foods In to verify his calculations and share his happy news with the owners, who know him well. The master electrician waited patiently for his wife to come home so he could surprise her with his big news.

"I always get on him about playing," said his wife Daryl. "When he showed me (the winning scratch-off), I thought it was fake." Daryl scanned the instant ticket using the Maryland Lottery app on her phone. Seeing the winning message made her a believer.

The two have a combined family of seven children and numerous grandchildren. The prize will go toward debt, bills, home improvements and a vacation to celebrate their October wedding anniversary.

Hughesville resident wins big with 8-spot wager

A spur-of-the-moment decision to play Keno led a Hughesville resident to the Maryland Lottery Winner's Circle to celebrate his big win of $30,039.

The retired truck dealership employee played the game on a whim after walking into one of his favorite Lottery retailers to fill up his car with gas and his pockets with Lottery scratch-offs. At the register of Hughesville Sunoco, the loyal player bought gas, several scratch-offs and a Keno ticket. The 71-year-old then returned home and continued with his day.

Later, the Charles County resident went online to check his ticket and see if he won. He had placed an 8-spot Keno bet and added the Super Bonus multiplier to his ticket. With the biggest smile on his face, the jubilant winner jumped up and down in excitement after discovering he'd won his largest Lottery prize yet.

The lucky player plans to put the prize toward bills and into savings. Joining in on this victory is the retailer located at 8144 Leonardtown Road in Hughesville. For selling a winning Keno ticket of $10,000 or more, Hughesville Sunoco earns a $300.39 bonus from the Lottery. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize.

Hughesville man claims $80,060 prize

William Frasher of Hughesville got the surprise of his life when he decided to stop in at Korner Liquors in Waldorf last Thursday and play Keno.

The 24-year-old real estate investor was on his way to get something to eat after work and initially stopped at the Charles County Lottery retailer to cash a check. When he was leaving the store, William decided to turn around and play a few rounds of Keno.

"Something was just telling me to go play," he said. It's a good thing William heeded his intuition because he won $80,060!

A bit of a numerologist, William is a big fan of Keno as well as Pick 3, Pick 4 and playing the slots at casinos. "I like watching all of the Keno numbers," he said.

In placing his Keno bet, William added the Super Bonus multiplier feature to a 20-draw ticket and bet on the numbers 5, 9, 12, 19, 21, 28, 29, 47, 70, and 71. The Super Bonus of 3 tripled his prize to $80,060.

William didn't stay at the store to see the results of his games. Instead, he checked them on his trip home. He couldn't believe his luck! The happy player plans to use his winnings to pay bills and pad his savings account.

Another winner in this story is the Lottery retailer. For selling a winning Keno ticket of $10,000 or more, Korner Liquors at 3120 Old Washington Road in Waldorf earns an $800.60 bonus from the Lottery. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize. Congrats to these winners!

Hughesville man wins $25,000 at Charlotte Hall restaurant

William Frasher of Hughesville is one of the luckiest Keno players in the state right now! He claimed a $25,000 prize just 10 days after cashing in an $80,060 winning ticket.

The young professional was attending a working lunch with his boss at a family friend's restaurant when they decided to play a couple of rounds of Keno.

William is fond of St. Mary's Landing, the site of his Oct. 3 $25,000 win, because he worked at the Charlotte Hall restaurant as a waiter and bartender before switching to real estate. Our winner still occasionally picks up the odd shift here and there on weekends.

The Charles County man has gained a bit of popularity since his last big win on Sept. 20. Notifications kept coming across his smartphone! "I got like 67 Facebook notifications when I was doing a walk-through on a property and had no idea what was going on!"

The real estate investor just received the check from his $80,060 win on Oct. 1 and then won $25,000 on a Keno game on Oct. 3. What a lucky guy! In placing his quick-pick Keno bet, William added the Super Bonus multiplier feature to a 20-draw ticket and bet on the numbers 17, 27, 29, 34, 62, 65, 74, 75, and 78. The Super Bonus of 3 tripled his prize.

The 24-year-old actually won on his last ticket of the day. He plans to pay off a chunk of the loan on a new car he bought last year and eliminate debt with his two big prizes

Another winner in this story is the Lottery retailer. For selling a winning Keno ticket of $10,000 or more, St. Mary's Landing at 29935 Three Notch Road in St. Mary's County earns a $250 bonus from the Lottery. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize. Congrats to these winners!

Upper Marlboro woman's 10-cent bet yields $29,295.70 prize

A doggone snake outside her door stopped a frightened Upper Marlboro Racetrax fan in her tracks on July 23, leading to a temporary, but financially rewarding, delay of game. The 63-year-old said the snake-induced change in her Racetrax routine followed by "Buddy the Beagle" showing her the coast was clear led to a $29,295.70 payoff!

The winner was leaving her house to play the virtual ponies at Marlboro Country Liquors in Upper Marlboro when she opened the door and spotted the snake.

"The snake scared me back in," she said.

Her husband, also a fan of Racetrax, surmised that recent heavy rains drove the snake from its lair. About an hour after retreating into her house, the woman let Buddy outside to run reconnaissance. Buddy went out the same door, sniffed around and did not encounter the snake.

The happy player resumed her excursion to her favorite Racetrax venue. She knew just what numbers she would play when she arrived at Marlboro Country Liquors. A few weeks back, the Prince George's County resident got a ticket for the relatively high-odds Superfecta Box combination of 8, 9, 10 and 12, and had played the set ever since.

"I liked the numbers," she said. Her strategy is to bet small on high-odds combinations: "10 cents, 20 races, no bonus." The Bonus is the game's multiplier feature. Her 10-cent bet played later than usual that day returned the five-digit payout. The big win she credits to Buddy isn't her first big Racetrax prize, said the lucky lady.

"Every few days we're hitting something," she said, noting that she and her husband stopped to play on July 24 before claiming her prize at Lottery headquarters. He won $725.20! Although he generally plays random numbers, the husband based his numbers that day on a Candy Crush game he played. Her big windfall, the winner said, will go straight into her bank account.

Her lucky Lottery retailer also has reason to celebrate. For selling a winning Racetrax ticket of more than $10,000, Marlboro Country Liquors at 14808 Main Street earns a bonus from the Lottery equal to 1 percent of the prize ($292.95).

Grocery Trip Puts $100,000 Prize in Lusby Man's Pocket

A trip to the local Giant grocery to pick up a prescription for a roommate put a $100,000 surprise into the hands of a Lusby man. He selected a WILLY WONKA GOLDEN TICKET scratch-off that carried the game's top prize.

The 59-year-old project manager visited Giant #343 and bought the $10 game from a Lottery vending machine. He wasn't expecting a prize at all, saying, "I have the worst luck." But the scratch-off caught his eye.

"I just got the ticket because I always liked the movie," said the Calvert County man, who won the second-to-last $100,000 top prize in the game.

He and other players can still enter non-winning WILLY WONKA GOLDEN TICKET scratch-offs into the BILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE for a chance to win a three-day, four-night trip to Las Vegas, $1,000 in spending money and participation in the challenge. Contestants in Las Vegas will have the chance to win cash prizes of $1,000 to $1 billion. Upcoming entry deadlines are Oct. 15, Nov. 19 and Dec. 17.

The grocery is also a winner. For selling a $100,000 top-prize scratch-off, Giant #343 at 11740 Rousby Hall Road earns a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize value.