Lottery player since 1973 wins big prize. ‘You’ve gotta play to win’
A longtime lottery player’s persistence paid off with a big win in Maryland, officials said.
The Clarksburg man, who’s been playing the lottery since 1973, won $250,000 via Pick 5, the Maryland Lottery said in a June 2 news release.
Pick 5 is one of his mainstay games, along with Pick 3 and Cash4Life, lottery officials said.
He’s scored some other wins recently, including $5,000 playing Pick 5 and three Cash4Life wins at $2,500, according to lottery officials.
For the $250,000 win, he chose his own number combination and bought five tickets at a convenience store in Frederick, lottery officials said.
“There was nothing special about the combination, 39943, but the first three digits caught his eye when they hit on a different drawing. He’s been playing that combination for more than a year,” according to lottery officials.
The man plans to put his winnings in the bank, and “eventually, it’ll go into my house,” he told lottery officials.
He had some words of wisdom for other lottery players, per the release, including “don’t go beyond your means.”
He also said, “The rule of thumb is, you’ve gotta play to win,” lottery officials said.
Clarksburg is about a 45-mile drive west from Baltimore.
This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Lottery player since 1973 wins big prize. ‘You’ve gotta play to win’."
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