Lottery player wins big on 2 tickets after taking friend’s advice. ‘Dream came true’
Since winning “a few dollars” on her first scratch-off lottery ticket at age 18, a Maryland woman has been chasing a dream.
Charlotte Mattison longed to win a top lottery prize, Maryland Lottery officials said in a Dec. 9 news release.
The Baltimore woman’s story is one of “persistence, strategy and luck,” lottery officials said.
After her first win, her next stroke of luck came when she won a $100,000 lottery prize in 1997, lottery officials said.
“While thrilled with that experience,” Mattison dreamed of more, lottery officials said.
Decades passed, but her persistence finally paid off Dec. 2 when she bought two Pick 5 tickets and placed a $1 straight bet on each, according to lottery officials.
Heeding a friend’s advice, Mattison studied previous winning numbers and used them on her tickets, lottery officials said.
Her tickets, which each included the numbers “31413,” both won a top prize of $50,000.
“I was shocked,” Mattison told lottery officials. “I left that store with the biggest smile on my face after getting my tickets verified.”
Finally, her “lifelong dream came true,” lottery officials said.
Mattison said she plans to use her winnings to pay off the mortgage for her house and help her sister buy a car, lottery officials said.
Though she’s achieved her dream, Mattison told lottery officials she has a new one.
“I want to win again,” Mattison said. “I plan to keep playing, but if I win another big prize, I’ll use it to help my family or pay off my car.”
This story was originally published December 9, 2024 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Lottery player wins big on 2 tickets after taking friend’s advice. ‘Dream came true’."
