Clayton Heard of Lanham used numbers from a 1996 ticket to win $50,100 playing Powerball. He and his wife have multiple plans for the third-tier prize.
Prince George’s County resident takes home third-tier prize
Clayton Heard of Lanham, who caught Powerball fever as the July 19 jackpot rolled to $1.08 billion, was one of five big Maryland winners this week. Although a California player won the jackpot, Clayton scored a $50,100 third-tier prize using numbers from 1996.
The retired healthcare worker is a regular Powerball player but had found an old Lottery ticket from 1996. With the jackpot climbing to the sixth largest in U.S. lottery history, Clayton decided to take a new approach and use a ticket from the past to help him in 2023.
“I thought, ‘Let me play those numbers from 1996,’” he said.
Clayton explained that he woke up at 4 a.m. on Thursday, July 20, and scanned his three tickets. The first and second tickets were non-winners but the last ticket brought an abundance of joy to his household.
The Prince George’s County resident had matched four of the five numbers and the Powerball to secure a $50,000 win. He also matched three of the five numbers plus the Powerball on another line of the $10 ticket, adding $100 to his prize.
“I ran upstairs screaming. My family was wondering what was wrong,” Clayton said with a smile.
His celebration woke up his wife, who accompanied Clayton to Lottery headquarters to share in the fun of claiming the prize. “I asked him if he won something. He was excited,” she recalled.
The 67-year-old retiree said he loves to fish and travel. Clayton added that he plans to use the $50,100 prize for more travel and home renovations, which will include upgrades to the kitchen. “He promised to get me new kitchen countertops,” his wife explained.
Our winner bought the lucky ticket at Forbes BP located 9701 Annapolis Road in Lanham.
