MDLottery

So, it wasn’t the lottery purchase itself that was unusual for the 61-year-old Walmart employee, for she’s played often over the years. And, it wasn’t winning a significant prize, for she’s won big prizes. What was different?

“I usually play the Lottery just because I enjoy it,” the Germantown resident explained. “I bought this particular ticket, though, because of a feeling.” She awoke with a strange need to buy a Pick 5 ticket and a feeling that it would pay off. Her intuition didn’t give her “a specific Pick 5number,” she said. Covering all of her bases, she bought tickets for that day and the next while at Sugarloaf Wine Cellar in Germantown. “It was such a strange, super-specific feeling that I wasn’t going to ignore it.”

While a $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot was won on a ticket sold in Maine, Maryland had 11 Mega Millions winners last week at the $10,000 level and one at the $20,000 level. In all, the seven days ending Jan. 15 produced 51 winning tickets worth $10,000 or more that were redeemed or sold across Maryland, and the Lottery paid more than $32.5 million in prizes during that span.

Winners of prizes larger than $25,000 must redeem their tickets at the Maryland Lottery Claims Center in Baltimore, which is open by appointment only. Prizes of up to $5,000 can be claimed at any of more than 400 Expanded Cashing Authority Program (XCAP) locations. All Maryland Lottery retailers are authorized to redeem tickets up to and including $600. More information is available on the How To Claim page of mdlottery.com.