Lottery-playing husband and wife have differing opinions on how to place a bet

By Kate Northrop

BOWIE, Md. — A husband called his wife "cheap" for the way she chooses to play the lottery, but her $229,774 Racetrax prize is anything but.

Despite her husband's dismissal of her lottery playing tendencies, a Maryland woman stuck to her guns and won a $229,774 Racetrax prize.

It's not the first time her persistence paid off either. The winner, who dubbed herself and her husband the "Bowie Ballers," has multiple big wins to prove that her love of the lottery is no joke. In 2016, she won a prize worth $50,000 in another game.

She continued to play Racetrax to this day until her resolve rewarded her with a prize worth more than four times that amount on Oct. 30. Even after winning $229,774, she says she'll keep on playing in hopes of winning again.

"I hope my numbers don't come out while I'm here," she told the Maryland Lottery the day after she won.

She showed up at Lottery headquarters on Oct. 31 with her husband by her side to claim her prize. While the pair have been happily married for nearly three decades, they share some differing views on how they approach playing the lottery.

The anonymous woman explained that she likes playing Racetrax because of the relatively low cost for a potentially high return.

"It's one dollar and you can win a lot of money," she said.

In the Oct. 30 draw, she placed a single $1 Superfecta straight bet and allowed the terminal to pick her numbers for her by opting for a Quick Pick. The horses in the digital game finished in the exact order as her numbers — 12, 11, 6, and 7 — to win her the six-figure prize.

However, her husband prefers bigger bets to increase the odds of a win and has tried to encourage her to go this route instead.

"Play to win big! But she's cheap. It is what it is," he said.

Regardless, his wife's $1 bet resulted in a prize that was anything but cheap.

The husband of the "Bowie Ballers" does play the lottery from time to time, but he'll be "mostly playing her numbers," he told the Lottery. His wife has a "soft spot" for Racetrax but will enjoy playing a variety of games. For example, her 2016 win of $50,000 came from a scratch-off game.

While the "Bowie Ballers" will use the prize to support themselves financially, they couldn't think of any other immediate plans when asked how they would spend their winnings.

"We always have special dinners," the wife of the pair replied when asked if they would enjoy a special dinner together. "This one will be extra special — king crab legs instead of regular crab legs."

For selling the winning Racetrax ticket valued above $10,000, the Express Mart on Hall Road in Bowie will receive a $2,297.74 bonus commission, which is equal to 1% of the prize.