TOWSON, MD—A retired medical worker from Towson is $50,000 richer after buying a Powerball ticket in Parkville and using numbers from a fortune cookie.

The Baltimore County grandmother said she frequents a restaurant that provides fortune cookies with meals. She decided to use the numbers from a recent fortune cookie for the January 8 Powerball drawing.

“I said, ‘Let me try something different,’” she recalled, according to a Maryland Lottery press release.

The woman purchased her ticket at J Convenience, 8765 Satyr Hill Road in Parkville. Her strategy proved successful, matching four of the five numbers and the Powerball to win the $50,000 prize.

This is the first of four third-tier Powerball prizes claimed in Maryland in 2025. The retired medical worker, who also reads her horoscope daily, said that seeing the word “numbers” in her horoscope encourages her to buy a lottery ticket. Emboldened by her win, she plans to use her fortune cookie numbers in the Mega Millions and Multi-Match games.

While she hasn’t finalized her plans for the winnings, she anticipates sharing the wealth with her family.

“It will probably go to my children and grandkids,” she said with a smile.

The winner, who previously won $100 for matching three out of five Powerball numbers, is hoping to continue her winning streak by matching all five numbers and the Powerball to secure the jackpot prize.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.