The cost of future manicures just got easier for a Maryland woman. She nailed a big prize in the state lottery’s Pick 5 promotion.
According to a news release from the Maryland Lottery, the anonymous woman, who is calling herself “Grateful Winner,” won $50,000 in Friday’s midday drawing of the Pick 5 promotion.
The Forestville resident decided to switch up some of her normal numbers after reading about another lottery player, who decided to play one of his Pick 5 number combinations “after seeing variations of his numbers drawn.”
The woman told lottery officials she had played the 56389 combination for more than a year. Noticing that the number 6 had been the first digit drawn four times in Pick 5 drawings between June 5 and June 21, “Grateful Winner” swapped the first two numbers of her combination to 65389 and played a $1 straight bet, lottery officials said.
“I just started playing that number last week and I couldn’t believe it,” she said in a statement.
After buying a ticket at a 7-Eleven store in District Heights, the government worker went to get a manicure. She was checking her phone with her free hand when she realized she had won.
“My eyes started to water,” the woman said. “I was shaking and I couldn’t see.”
She also had trouble with her grip, dropping the ticket. The manicurist picked it up and told “Grateful Winner” to sign the back of the ticket, which she happily did, lottery officials said.
“Grateful Winner” told lottery officials that she would use her winnings to pay off bills.
