A happy scratch-off winner from Vienna, Va. was breathing a sigh of relief as he talked with Maryland Lottery officials this week. The restaurateur told Lottery officials he is facing ballooning construction and permitting costs as he prepares to launch a new restaurant in Gaithersburg.
What a stroke of luck for an occasional player to find a $50,000 winning scratch-off!
The lucky man purchased a winning instant ticket courtesy of a family member. He was visiting when the relative went on a scratch-off run and offered to pick one up for him, too. The 43-year-old didn’t initially scratch his $20 instant ticket, he said. Instead, he stuffed the $1,000,000 Blowout game in his jacket pocket. His wife found the unscratched ticket much later on laundry day and the entrepreneur got to work on the game, revealing a diamond over a $50,000 prize.
The lucky winner plans to use the prize to put finishing touches on the restaurant he hopes to open in January. The entrepreneur hopes to capitalize on the Chinese fresh noodles trend that has already swept through California, New York and Philadelphia.
The source of the $50,000 winning ticket was Giant supermarket #349 located at 3530 Sugarloaf Parkway in Frederick. The $20 $1,000,000 Blowout scratch-off has been on sale since June and still has six $1,000,000 top prizes remaining.