Playing lottery was not on man’s agenda — until friend convinced him. It paid off
A man in Maryland had no plans to play the lottery, but he changed his mind at his friend’s recommendation — and won big, officials said.
“Just one look was all it took and he realized he had a big winner,” lottery officials said in an Aug. 1 news release.
One of the numbers the Potomac man had chosen in the $5 Fast Play Double Win ticket was 39, which was also one of the winning numbers with a “prize amount $50,000 underneath it” — the game’s top prize, officials said.
He bought the ticket May 19 at a Safeway store in Potomac.
Thanks to his friend’s recommendation, the winner can now use some of the prize to visit his home country of Pakistan, officials said.
This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 6:23 PM with the headline "Playing lottery was not on man’s agenda — until friend convinced him. It paid off."
