Winning lottery ticket sold at local grocery

June 08, 2006|by TIFFANY ARNOLD

HAGERSTOWN

A Mega Millions lottery ticket worth $250,000 was sold at a Hagerstown grocery store, but the holder of the ticket has not yet claimed the prize, state lottery officials announced Wednesday.

The winning numbers - 5, 29, 35, 52, 53 and 9 - were drawn Tuesday night.

While nobody won the jackpot, six people won the $250,000 prize given to those who matched all but the Mega Ball, Maryland Lottery spokeswoman Gail Pelovitz said.

One of those tickets was purchased at Weis Market, 31 N. Eastern Blvd., Pelovitz said. It is the only winner among the 571,000 tickets sold in Maryland, Pelovitz said.

"No one has come in yet," said Jamie Wolfe, an assistant manager at the store. Wolfe said no one had called in claiming to have purchased the winning ticket.

Pelovitz said the winner has 182 days to come forward. Otherwise, the money will go to the state's "unclaimed prize fund."

She said the winner would be left with around $168,000 after federal and state taxes.

Mega Millions is a national jackpot game with twice-weekly drawings. Prizes begin at $2 and increase as players match more numbers. The jackpot, set at a minimum of $12 million, increases if there are no winners and continues to grow until there is a winner.

The Mega Millions jackpot stands at $17 million, Pelovitz said. The next drawing is Friday.

Lottery officials said Bonnie Forsyth, a retired science teacher living in Clear Spring, won a $20,000 lottery prize after competing in an onstage contest for $2 million last month.

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