An Anne Arundel County couple is $25,000 richer after a number combination suggested by a friend’s spouse years ago finally paid off in a big way.
The couple, known publicly as Mr. and Mrs. Thankful, visited Maryland Lottery Headquarters in Baltimore on Aug. 10 to claim their Pick 5 prize. The winning numbers, 1-9-2-4-3, trace back to an evening out with friends, when Mr. Thankful asked his friend’s wife to suggest some random numbers to play. He’s stuck with that combination ever since, playing it both straight and boxed.
“Ever since that day, I’ve been playing that number straight and boxed,” he said while claiming the prize. “And, I’ve been pretty lucky with it over the years.”
The payoff came on July 26, when those exact numbers hit straight in the Pick 5 midday drawing. Because he’d placed a 50-cent bet on the numbers coming out straight two days earlier, the win was worth $25,000. He checks his tickets every day, and said he had to double-check his own records before believing what he was seeing.
“I kept looking and looking at it,” he said. “I grabbed my list of numbers to compare and sure enough, I won.”
He kept the win to himself for weeks, not telling his wife until the couple pulled into the Lottery’s parking lot in Baltimore.
“He told me we were going to a medical appointment,” Mrs. Thankful said. “He had some nerve not telling me until we were pulling into the Lottery’s parking lot.”
The couple, longtime players of Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 and jackpot games, said the winnings will go toward car repairs and a few bills, with the rest heading into savings.
The winning ticket was sold at Jackie’s Liquors, 3392 Laurel-Fort Meade Road in Laurel. The Anne Arundel County retailer receives a $250 bonus from the Lottery for selling a top-prize-winning ticket.
