Maryland man wins third big lottery prize within 12 months

Sept. 4 (UPI) -- A Maryland man made his third visit to Maryland Lottery headquarters in a single year to collect his third major jackpot from the Racetrax game.

Richard Joyner, 52, of Havre de Grace, told Maryland Lottery officials he visited the Aberdeen Sunoco gas station Sunday and decided to play the virtual horse racing game, which is his favorite lottery game.

"I was heading out for a get-together but was a little early, so I stopped to play a few games," he said. "I bought a Superfecta ticket that covered 11 races and then a few more for individual races."

Joyner said he noticed a small prize first after watching the horses cross the finish line.

"Then, I remembered the Superfecta ticket that included that same race. I dug it out of my pocket and saw that I'd gotten even more horses right on that one," he said.

The player discovered horses 12, 9, 5 and 2 had finished in the same order he predicted, earning him a $43,000 jackpot.

"I couldn't really believe it so I asked the cashier to check it," Joyner said. "We were both smiling pretty wide."

The win was Joyner's third major Racetrax prize within the past 12 months, after winning $15,252 in January and $39,697 in September of last year.

Joyner said his latest prize will help pay off his bills and pad his savings.

"I'll be looking to retire again before too much longer. This will really help make that happen," he said.