When the Powerball jackpot was in the range of a billion dollars, a group of Frederick co-workers started pooling resources and buying tickets in hopes of increasing their odds of winning.
It worked, and the 14 participants carpooled to Lottery headquarters Dec. 30 to claim a $50,000 third-tier prize.
Their prize came on Christmas Eve, the same drawing when the $1.817 billion jackpot was hit on a ticket sold Arkansas, so they decided on the alias “Holiday Bonus” to tell their collective story of winning, though “One Ball Short” was a close runner-up. The group missed becoming multimillionaires by just one number.
The co-workers contributed $2 to the ticket fund, with as many as 25 people throwing in to buy tickets at any given time. When it was time to contribute for the Dec. 24 drawing, the total pool of participants was down to 14.
The official ticket buyer says a minor twist of fate is what ended up giving them five out of six winning numbers. She was using a Lottery vending machine at the Safeway grocery store at 815 East Main Street in Middletown and initially tapped incorrect information onto the screen. She ended up starting over. Since the group goes with quick pick numbers, chosen at random, it’s possible different digits would have been selected had she not started over.
Members of the group thought the nickname “Holiday Bonus” was appropriate given the date of the drawing and the nice seasonal boost the win provided.
When the Frederick and Washington County residents were asked how they planned to use their prize, a large majority said they would pay bills.
As for playing the Lottery again, the group was vocal and unanimous in their plans to buy more tickets, to the point of making a stop to get tickets on the way home.