Friends Win $750K Prize Playing Lottery Game In Harford County

A group of seven Harford County friends recently raked in a six-figure win playing the Maryland Lottery. The friends live in Aberdeen, Abingdon, Bel Air and Edgewood and include a teacher, machinist, carpet salesperson, brothers and two business owners, according to lottery officials.

Regularly the group gathers at Giovanni's Restaurant in Edgewood. While there, they pitch in for the group's lottery pool. The following day, one person in the pool sends out a text message with a performance report, representatives from the group — dubbed the "Magnificent Multi-Match Seven" — told the Maryland Lottery.

Among their recent purchases was a $2 ticket with a string of randomly selected quick-pick numbers that hit the jackpot for the Multi-Match game. The game consists of lines of numbers, with winners awarded based on how many numbers match up to those selected during a drawing that occurs Monday and Thursday nights.

When they got a message saying they hit the jackpot after the drawing on Thursday, May 23, many were in disbelief that they won until the pool organizer sent a photo of the ticket. In the past, they have won $2 or $20, they told lottery officials. One of the seven was unconvinced until seeing the news on a Keno screen that a winning ticket had been sold in Joppa. Theirs marked only the third time someone has hit a jackpot playing the Multi-Match game so far in 2019, according to the Maryland Lottery.

The Harford County friends bought the winning ticket at 1907 Philadelphia Road in Joppa, which officials said will earn the store a $1,000 bonus from the Maryland Lottery.

Four members of the Magnificent Multi-Match Seven claimed their prize money at the Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore this week. They told lottery officials that while this particular game has only been around since 2006, they have been playing the lotto together for decades.

Each player received $40,878.58 after taxes since the group decided to take the cash option for the jackpot. Some said they planned to put their money in the bank, while others reported they were going share their prize money with family members or possibly put it toward a trip.