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Severna Park native John Ambrose can thank an incompetent clerk for his six-figure win, as well as a $10,000 prize a year ago, after his numbers accidentally got mixed up playing Pick 5.
The 67-year-old's story began in 2022, when he started playing his game of choice, and decided he wanted four of his five digit number to represent 7s, with a different number in the middle.
One night, while watching TV, Ambrose saw the number "77377" and sure enough, he had his lucky number, Lottery officials said.
Ambrose was purchasing a Pick 5 ticket using those numbers last year, when the clerk accidentally gave him "77477," not his usual play, and the clerk also failed to key in a $1 straight bet.
He won $10,000 on the evening drawing that night thanks to the clerk's error, and he kept playing the mistaken number up until he cashed in on the $200,000 prize.
“I glanced up at the Lottery numbers and saw that my number came out straight," he said. "I couldn’t believe it."
Using the newfound cash, the tree service company owner says he plans to invest in his business, while still testing out his Lottery luck.
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