A 19-year-old Riverdale man who only recently graduated high school is now a multimillionaire after his Multi-Match ticket matched all six winning numbers drawn on August 31. The teen, who works as an electrician's apprentice and says he only plays the lottery occasionally, discovered his fortune not from a phone call but by reading the Maryland Lottery website, where he saw that a jackpot ticket had been sold at his usual spot.
The winning numbers — 1, 4, 18, 35, 41, and 42 — matched a ticket purchased at Town Center Market on Queensbury Road in Riverdale, according to the Maryland Lottery. The draw ended a jackpot rollover streak that had been building since April, the agency notes. As FOX 5 DC reported, the young winner said he buys a few tickets every other week and was floored when he realized his numbers matched.
“I was dumbfounded. I just kept checking. I was like, ‘wow!’” he said, according to the same report. He shared the news with his mother, father and sister before making his way to lottery headquarters to claim the prize.
A Choice Between Cash and a 25-Year Annuity
Like all Maryland jackpot winners, the teen faced a decision: take the advertised $4.2 million as a 25-year annuity, or opt for an estimated $2.2 million lump-sum cash payout before taxes, according to WUSA9. Maryland winners must select cash or annuity within 60 days of validation, per the same report. Either way, the prize is subject to a 24% federal tax withholding and Maryland's 9.5% state income tax withholding rate, a rate that took effect July 1, 2025, according to the Comptroller of Maryland — with final tax liability potentially differing from those withholdings because of additional federal and state or local taxes.
The $4.2 million jackpot ranks as the fourth-largest Multi-Match jackpot in Maryland Lottery history and the largest single payout for the game since May 2022, WUSA9 reports. Multi-Match jackpots start at $500,000 and roll over twice weekly until someone wins, the outlet notes.
Anonymity, Legal Age, and the Claim Process
Anonymity, Legal Age, and the Claim Process State officials identified the winner only by his age, hometown, and occupation. The winner is 19 and a recent high school graduate.
Maryland Lottery rules require draw-game jackpot winners to claim their prize within 182 days of the drawing, and prizes over $25,000 must be claimed through state lottery headquarters in Baltimore; an appointment is required for in-person claims, while claims may also be submitted by mail. The teen completed the claim process on September 8, per the agency.
Why Multi-Match Draws Local Players
Multi-Match is offered exclusively in Maryland and costs $2 per play, the Maryland Lottery notes — far better odds than national games like Powerball or Mega Millions.
A Family Business Cashes In Too
Town Center Market, the store where the winning ticket was sold, is a family-owned craft beverage and grocery business operated by brothers Ted and Jimmy Spiropoulos, according to Beverage Journal. The store relocated to its expanded Queensbury Road location in 2012, the outlet reports, and will now receive a $4,200 bonus from the state for selling the winning ticket.
The win adds to a string of recent Maryland Lottery jackpots in Prince George's County, including a Hyattsville bus driver's $5M win earlier this year. Statewide, Maryland Lottery and Gaming also provided information about the lottery.
For his part, the Riverdale teen says he plans to use his winnings to buy a house for his family and to build a strong foundation for his future, according to Maryland Lottery officials.
