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Whether the jackpot is $20 million, or a cool $1 billion, St. Mary's County resident James Stogner says he will still pick up his ticket for nearly every drawing, and that faith was rewarded this week when he was at Lottery Headquarters to claim a $50,000 prize.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "The base jackpot is still a lot of money."
This time, when he checked the quick-pick ticket, the 51-year-old noticed a little more money than usual — $50,000 — had appeared on the screen.
"I had to check it three times just to make sure," the Mechanicsville man mused after having the store owner confirm it.
Stogner didn't win the jackpot - no one did as it swelled to an estimated $875 million - but he is not scoffing at his windfall.
The HVAC worker picked up the golden ticket at the Charlotte Hall Dash - one of his favorite Lottery spots - in the 30100 block of Three Notch Road and said that he plans to pay off some bills with the newfound cash.
His big win came on the same day a chef in Lanham also won $50,000.
For Stogner, he vowed to keep playing his favorite game until he lands that jackpot he's been waiting for, even after claiming $50,000.
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