Hyattsville bus driver wins $5 million Maryland Lottery prize

A Hyattsville convenience-store stop turned into a $5 million windfall for a Washington, D.C. school bus driver, but Maurice Williams did not stop his day for long. After scanning the ticket in his car, he called his mother, put the winning scratch-off away and went to work.

Williams bought the $5,000,000 LUXE ticket at the 7-Eleven at 7206 Sheriff Road in Hyattsville, after first stopping in to cash a $50 prize from the same game. He used that money to buy another ticket, then nearly missed the jackpot until the scan showed the winning number. The match was 59, the same number as his age after he had just turned 59.

Maryland Lottery said Williams claimed the first $5 million top prize on the game at its Claim Center on May 5, just days after his birthday. The $5,000,000 LUXE scratch-off went on sale Feb. 6 with three $5 million top prizes, and after Williams claimed his prize, two top prizes remained unclaimed. The ticket costs $50 and offers 50 chances to win.

For a winner in Prince George’s County, the practical answer to “what happens next” starts with the Claim Center, not the convenience store counter. A top prize has to be claimed through the lottery, and the headline amount is only the starting point for any winner trying to understand what the money really means after taxes and decisions about whether to take cash, save, or spend.

Williams’ own plan was simple and personal. He told the lottery he wanted to buy his mother a house, save the rest and figure out the future later. That choice fits the everyday reality behind a sudden windfall: even a life-changing prize does not erase work schedules, family obligations or the need to think carefully before making big moves.

Maryland Lottery said the Hyattsville win was the largest prize in Prince George’s County during the past week. The county has also seen other recent scratch-off hits, including a $250,000 Hyattsville prize and a $50,000 Prince George’s County win for a school bus driver earlier in 2026.