Night out with friends ends with single mom of 2 ‘shocked’ at big Maryland Lottery win

A single mom of two was “shocked” after playing a lottery game while out with friends, Maryland officials said.

The Silver Springs woman usually plays Mega Millions, Powerball and Multi-Match but decided to try “something different” while hanging out July 5 in Riverdale, according to a July 10 release by the Maryland Lottery.

Instead, she put down a $6 Trifecta bet with the Racetrax game, officials said. She had no idea she’d land $31,233.

The woman chose horses 12, 10 and 11 to cross the finish line in that order but ended up missing the big win after walking back to the table where her friends were, officials said.

“My friends urged me to check my ticket, so I went to the scanner,” she told lottery officials. “I was shocked when I saw the amount because I have never won that amount of money ever.”

The public health care worker shared the news with her friends and bought everyone a round of drinks, officials said.

She plans to use the money toward her son’s college tuition and to update her home, officials said.

Riverdale is about a 30-mile drive southwest of Baltimore.

This story was originally published July 10, 2024 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Night out with friends ends with single mom of 2 ‘shocked’ at big Maryland Lottery win."