Ocean City Man Wins $50K In Lottery

OCEAN CITY - An Ocean City man got on a roll playing the state lottery last weekend and parlayed his good fortune into a $50,000 payday.

Raymond Bartole, 51, an employee at the Super Fresh grocery store on 94^th Street, began his lucky streak last Saturday when he won $30 on Bonus Match 5 and followed that up by winning another $20 on Multi-Match scratch-off tickets. On Sunday, the New Jersey native continued his hot streak, winning another $85 on scratch-off tickets.

By the time Bartole was ready to leave work on Sunday, he figured he had played and won enough for the weekend, but decided not to head home empty handed. He purchased another Bonus Match 5 ticket on his way home from work.

'At the last minute, I decided to buy a Bonus Match 5 ticket,' he said. 'I bought a $6 ticket and picked the first six lines. The last six, I did a Quick Pick. It was the first quick-pick line that was the winner.'

Bartole did not know he was a big winner until later that night when he checked the numbers on the state lottery website.

'I looked at the ticket and saw that I'd matched four numbers and was really excited about winning $600,' he said. 'When I saw the fifth match, I was like •€˜oh my gosh, that's $50,000.''

Bartole said he intends to pay down his bills with the winnings and put whatever is left over in the bank. He and a friend, who drove with him from the beach to collect his winnings, also planned to enjoy a good dinner on the way home.