‘Imagination became reality’ for mechanic who used former ZIP code as lottery numbers

For a mechanic in Maryland, “imagination became reality” when he scored a big lottery win after using a special number combination, officials said.

The man bought a $1 Pick 5 ticket at a laundromat in Riverdale and used his childhood home’s ZIP code, 20783, as the number combination, according to a news release by the Maryland Lottery. He had no idea the ticket held a $50,000 prize.

“I almost always play this number, but every once in a while, I get too busy to stop at a Lottery store,” he told officials. “I wanted the ticket in my hand before I let myself celebrate.”

The winner, who loves buying lottery tickets and visiting the casino, has “had plenty of wins over the years, even big ones,” but never one as large as this, officials said.

After thinking the numbers of the drawing looked familiar, the man “scrambled to make sure that he’d bought a ticket for that day,” officials said.

“Can you imagine if that had been the one day I didn’t play my numbers?” the New Carrollton resident told lottery officials.

The lucky winner plans to pay bills with the winnings, share the rest with family and frequent “his lucky laundromat,” officials said.

The laundromat will receive a $500 bonus for selling the winning ticket, the release said.

Riverdale is about 30 miles southwest of Baltimore.

This story was originally published February 12, 2024 at 5:18 PM with the headline "‘Imagination became reality’ for mechanic who used former ZIP code as lottery numbers."