Lottery player’s ‘cheap’ strategy leads her to huge prize from $1 ticket in Maryland

A lottery player’s strategy was described as “cheap” by her husband — but it landed her a huge prize in Maryland, officials said.

The woman, who loves playing the lottery at a “relatively low cost for a potentially high return,” bought a $1 Racetrax Superfecta ticket at a Bowie convenience store and let the numbers be chosen for her, the Maryland Lottery said in an Oct. 31 news release.

“Play to win big! But she’s cheap. It is what it is,” the woman’s husband of nearly 30 years told lottery officials about how she approaches playing.

That strategy, however, landed her a $229,774 win, officials said.

Although the woman has a “soft spot” for horse racing games, her picks vary. In 2016, she won $50,000 from a scratch-off, the release said. That win inspired her to “keep on playing in hopes of winning again.”

Even though the couple doesn’t have specific plans for the money they plan to indulge in an “extra special” dinner, officials said.

“This one will be extra special. King crab legs instead of regular crab legs,” the woman said in the release.

Bowie is about 30 miles southwest of Baltimore.

This story was originally published October 31, 2023 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Lottery player’s ‘cheap’ strategy leads her to huge prize from $1 ticket in Maryland."