A retired Baltimore truck driver and grandfather proved that sometimes “mistakes” just work, and he won $32,000 in the lottery.
The man, a regular Keno player, purchased a 10-point ticket on June 5 while at his neighborhood bar, the Maryland Lottery website said June 11.
While filling out the ticket, the man, who chose not to be identified, filled out the “Bonus” feature for each of his games, meaning the ticket cost $40.
The man, the Maryland Lottery said, did not expect to pay so much for his ticket.
The bar employee asked him if he still wanted to buy the ticket.
“She said, ‘This is $40. Do you want to keep it? I said, ‘Go ahead.’ “I always keep my error tickets,” the man said.
The man explained to the Maryland Lottery that he always keeps the “wrong” tickets because he fears his numbers will be played if he rejects the ticket.
In the fourth game on June 5, the man realized that this was exactly what was happening.
“I said to myself, ‘Oh my God, I got nine out of 10!’” he told the Maryland Lottery.
After scanning the bill, he realized how much he had won.
“It said $32,000. I said, ‘Oh my God, I have to think twice.'”
The man quickly and quietly put his ticket in his wallet and quickly returned home, the Maryland Lottery said.
He had never earned so much before, he said.
He collected his prize earlier this week, the Maryland Lottery said.
The man told the Maryland Lottery that he had no specific plan for his winnings, other than keeping them in the bank for safekeeping, for now.
“Keno,” says the Maryland Lottery website, “is a fun, fast-paced game that allows you to choose how many numbers to play, how much money to bet, where to play, and where to check your winning numbers.”
Winning Keno numbers are displayed on a monitor every three and a half minutes, they said.
The jackpot in a typical Maryland Lottery Keno game is $100,000.
The Maryland Lottery was founded in 1973.
Since then, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control agency has contributed $19.3 billion to the state of Maryland.
“To achieve our mission, we offer entertaining games that are conducted with honesty, integrity and transparency, and provide Maryland residents 18 years of age or older the opportunity to win cash and other great prizes,” the organization said.
The Maryland Lottery has distributed more than $31.5 billion in prizes since its founding, according to its website.
