BALTIMORE, MD—A Middle River man saw his prayer of prosperity answered in a big way this week. On Monday, he placed a $1 bet on nine separate tickets Pick 5 tickets and won $50,000 on each for a total of $450,000. In addition, he placed a $0.50 bet on four tickets, winning $25,000 on each to score another $100,000.
The crane salesman, who chose the alias “Jabez,” said he was on a lunch break when he pulled into the Harris Teeter parking lot located at 14702 Baltimore Avenue in Laurel and saw a vehicle with the license plate number of 77659. Those were familiar numbers for the loyal Maryland Lottery player.
“I play 7765 in Pick 4, so when I saw the tag with that number, but with the nine at the end, I decided to play it in Pick 5,” he told Maryland Lottery officials.
“Jabez” purchased his lunch and 13 Pick 5 tickets for the April 10 midday drawing and returned to work. Later that evening, he stopped at another Lottery retailer to check his tickets for a win and knew, when he scanned the first ticket, that his prayers had been answered.
“I immediately called my wife and told her we won at least $500,000,” said “Jabez.”
The 56-year-old, who claimed $450,000 of his prizes at Maryland Lottery headquarters this week, has many plans for his many prizes. The Baltimore County resident plans to pay a tax bill, take a couple of vacations and might pay off vehicles, too.
“Jabez” cashed three of his $25,000 winning tickets prior to his visit to Lottery headquarters to claim the nine $50,000 winning tickets. He still has one more $25,000 winning ticket to cash.
