A Maryland woman won $1 million from a single $2 Powerball ticket purchased in a Prince George’s County 7-Eleven. The winner intends to pay off debt and purchase a larger home. Full story below, courtesy of the MD Lottery:
She planned to buy a Powerball ticket on her way home from the gym, as she is a regular lottery player who enjoys scratch-off games as well as jackpot games like Powerball and Mega Millions. But she didn’t make it to the gym on December 10, so she decided to make a special journey to the 7-Eleven on 7730 Finns Lane in Lanham.
“A Lanham woman said she didn’t want to miss out on her shot at a jackpot of more than $900 million in the Dec. 10 Powerball drawing, so she made a special trip to buy a single $2 ticket. The next morning, she ended up shaking after she checked her ticket and realized she was a millionaire.
“He had to drive me to work because I was shaking so bad,” the winner said of her husband on Dec. 12 when she claimed her prize at Lottery headquarters, husband at her side.
Going by the nickname “Nina Anonymous” to maintain her privacy in the aftermath of her win, she was happy to tell her story.
The next morning, while getting ready for work, she remembered the ticket. When she first looked at the winning numbers on her phone, she assumed she had matched two of the six , maybe winning a few dollars. In the spirit of thoroughness, she retrieved her ticket, compared it to the posted winning numbers, and began shivering with delight.
“Nina Anonymous” remembers telling her husband, “No one won the jackpot, but we won $1 million!”
A finance professional, she has already made plans for her winnings: “We’re going to pay off our cars and credit cards and get a bigger house!”
Meanwhile, she intends to enjoy playing Maryland Lottery games, adding that she has three tickets for the Holiday Raffle, where a $50,000 Early Bird prize is up for grabs on December 22, and a top prize of $1 million (along with 10,010 other prizes ranging from $50 to $100,000) will be awarded in the final drawing on January 2.
“I’ll be back,” she said on her way out the door, exuding confidence.
The 7-Eleven store also benefits from her good fortune, earning a $2,500 lottery prize for selling a second-tier winning Powerball ticket valued at $1 million.
