Lottery player changed routine to ‘break out of a rut’ in Maryland. It paid off

A lottery player won big after changing up her routine, Maryland officials said.

On July 3, the woman from Essex decided to add “a few extra combinations to her regular Bonus Match 5 bet” and had no idea the split decision would land her $50,000, according to a July 15 news release by the Maryland Lottery.

She decided to buy nine combinations for $6 instead of her usual three combinations for $2, the lottery said.

“It wasn’t a lucky feeling or anything like that,” the winner told officials. “It was just wanting to break out of a rut, to do something differently.”

The woman bought her usual game at a vending machine in Jessup but used the “quick-pick option to select her combinations,” officials said.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” the woman said. “It was crazy, I was in shock. And then I realized that it was one of those extra lines that had won for me.”

The woman ended up checking her ticket July 4 and although she didn’t specify what she plans to do with the winnings, she said “it was one heck of a weekend,” the lottery said.

Jessup is about a 20-mile drive southwest from Baltimore.

This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Lottery player changed routine to ‘break out of a rut’ in Maryland. It paid off."