Lottery player relies on his late mom’s old numbers — and it pays off big in Maryland

For months, Andre Jones relied on his late mom’s lucky numbers when playing the lottery in Maryland, he told officials.

The dedication paid off.

Jones added a 1 to his mother’s usual Pick 4 numbers on a Pick 5 ticket and won $50,000, the Maryland Lottery said in a Dec. 14 news release.

“I kept having that number in my head and (decided) it was time to play that number again,” Jones told lottery officials.

He won in a Dec. 11 drawing.

The Baltimore man was used to dealing with numbers working in finance, but he said he had never won that much before.

Jones attributes his win to his commitment to the same set of numbers, but he said a “big win can happen to anyone,” according to the Maryland Lottery.

“Just keep playing and don’t change up your numbers,” he said.

The Ravens fan said he doesn’t have plans for how he’ll use the windfall yet.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he told lottery officials.

A $50,000 win is the biggest prize on a Pick 5 ticket.

The Baltimore convenience store where Jones purchased the ticket will receive a $500 bonus.

This story was originally published December 14, 2023 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Lottery player relies on his late mom’s old numbers — and it pays off big in Maryland."