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Lottery player wished on Thanksgiving wishbone. She got a big surprise in Maryland

A Maryland woman won a big lottery prize after making a wish on a turkey wishbone.
A Maryland woman won a big lottery prize after making a wish on a turkey wishbone. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A Dundalk, Maryland, woman spent her Thanksgiving Eve preparing a 24-pound turkey. As she prepared to take the bird over to another family, she came across the bird’s wishbone.

“It was the first time I really ever had a turkey wishbone in my hand,” she told lottery officials, according to a Nov. 29 news release. “I said, ‘I want my tag number to come out,’ then I kissed it and broke it.”

On her way home from delivering the turkey that day, she stopped to buy two $1 Pick 5 straight bets and placed a $1 box bet all using her license plate numbers.

Later that night, she filled her sister in on her wish, which prompted her sister to buy her own 50-cent straight bet Pick 5 ticket using the same numbers, she told officials.

When the numbers were drawn that evening, the wishbone wish came true. The winning number matched her license plate number, according to officials.

The sister who made the wish took home $100,800 while the other won $25,000. Now, the two have big plans for what comes next, officials said.

“I’m going to pay off my car. Then, I’m going to get some crabs. Jumbos this time,” the sister with the bigger prize told officials. She also plans to use some of her winnings for Christmas presents. The rest will go into savings.

The other sister plans to use her $25,000 to pay some bills and play some scratch-off tickets, she told officials.

Dundalk is about 10 miles east of Baltimore.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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This story was originally published December 1, 2022 at 10:17 AM with the headline "Lottery player wished on Thanksgiving wishbone. She got a big surprise in Maryland."

Moira Ritter
mcclatchy-newsroom
Moira Ritter covers real-time news for McClatchy. She is a graduate of Georgetown University where she studied government, journalism and German. Previously, she reported for CNN Business.
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