With the weekend just around the corner, one lucky Maryland Lottery fan from Montgomery County found himself in the right place at the right time to buy a $50,000 winning Bonus Match 5 ticket.
Nicknamed “Hempsey,” the Bethesda man was helping a person move on the day he found Lottery luck. The winner helped load a moving truck and stopped at Hillandale Beer & Wine in Silver Spring while on the way to the unloading site.
“Hempsey” overheard a customer at the store buying Lottery tickets and, before he left, asked to buy a quick-pick Bonus Match 5 ticket for that night’s drawing. Then, he added, “Make that two Bonus Match 5 tickets!”
After dropping off all of the furniture and items inside the moving truck, “Hempsey” went home to enjoy his weekend. Checking his tickets for a win the next morning gave the 56-year-old a welcome surprise.
“I scanned a ticket and, when I saw what it said on the (ticket checker) monitor, I immediately turned to the cashier and said, “Please scan this ticket for me.”
So many thoughts rushed through our winner’s mind! The first thing he wanted to do was sign the back of the ticket from the Sept. 21 drawing and rush to Lottery headquarters to claim his prize. “Hempsey” also wondered what to do with the winnings and immediately decided a new Dallas Cowboys blue Chevy truck was on his shopping list. The lucky player also plans to pay off some bills and save the rest of the prize for future endeavors.
Joining in on the fun is Hillandale Beer & Wine located at 10117 New Hampshire Avenue. Because the Montgomery County retailer sold a top-prize ticket in the game, the Lottery will pay the store a $500 bonus.