Boyfriend’s advice leads woman to big Powerball win in Maryland. ‘Has to be a glitch’

A Maryland woman thought her phone app made a mistake when it said she’d won $50,000 on a Powerball ticket, lottery officials reported.

“I thought, ‘This has to be a glitch. No way,’” the Montgomery County woman told officials, according to an April 24 news release by the Maryland Lottery.

She called her mom, who rechecked the ticket and confirmed the win, lottery officials said.

The woman credits advice from her boyfriend, who lives in a state without a lottery, with the win.

“He always says, ‘Just play. It’s only a couple of bucks,’” she told lottery officials.

She bought a ticket with five quick-pick numbers at a market in Laurel for the Saturday, April 20, drawing, lottery officials said. She found the tickets in her purse at work on Monday, April 22, and discovered she’d won.

The woman told lottery officials she plans to use the winnings to take her daughter on vacation and shore up her finances.

No one hit the Powerball jackpot on Wednesday, April 24, the national Powerball site said. The grand prize rises to an estimated $149 million for the next drawing Saturday, April 27.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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