Maryland lottery $50,000 winner hits same prize twice in 2026
A Charles County man won $50,000 on Bonus Match 5 after already collecting the same Maryland Lottery prize earlier this year.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
A Maryland lottery $50,000 winner has pulled off a tidy 2026 repeat, with state lottery officials saying a Charles County man collected his second prize of that size this year.
The Maryland Lottery said the player, whose name was not released, bought a Bonus Match 5 ticket for the July 17 drawing at the Dash In store on Smallwood Drive in Waldorf.
After the drawing, the man scanned his ticket and saw a message telling him he was a winner and should see the retailer, according to lottery officials. A clerk then checked the ticket and confirmed the prize: $50,000.
Who won the Maryland lottery twice in 2026?
The winner was identified by the Maryland Lottery only as a Charles County man. Lottery officials said he has been playing for more than 20 years.
He told the lottery he usually buys Multi-Match tickets, while also trying Bonus Match 5 and scratch-off games from time to time. His latest win came through Bonus Match 5, the game tied to the July 17 drawing.
The man said he recognized the scan message as good news, though he did not yet know the size of the prize. “As a longtime player, I knew that meant I had won something,” he told Maryland Lottery officials. “I just didn’t know how much.”
The $50,000 ticket was not his first brush with that exact payout in 2026. The player told officials he had already won the same amount earlier this year through a second-chance drawing.
What is he doing with the prize money?
The winner told the Maryland Lottery he plans to use the money on his wife, including buying her a new car and taking her on a vacation.
Lottery officials did not report additional details about the vehicle, the vacation plans or whether the winner took any other steps after claiming the prize. For players curious about the process after a win, Dayline has an explainer on how lottery payouts work, from claim paperwork to tax questions.
The Maryland Lottery did not publish the winner’s name in its announcement. It also did not state the odds of winning the Bonus Match 5 prize or the earlier second-chance drawing.
For now, the Charles County player has a rare 2026 lottery story: two separate $50,000 prizes in the same year, one confirmed at a Waldorf convenience store counter after a ticket scan told him to call over the retailer.
This story draws on original reporting from UPI.