Lucky dad finds top prize on You Win game
A construction worker is $50,000 closer to achieving his dream of bringing his wife and daughter from Guatemala to join him in Maryland after winning the top prize on the Maryland Lottery’s You Win scratch-off.
“I play almost only on weekends,” said the 39-year-old Beltsville resident. “It was very hot last Saturday and I was very thirsty. There was a 7-Eleven not far from my job so I went there for a cold drink.” His change from that purchase included $5, which he impulsively decided to use for a scratch-off. The first $5 game he saw was You Win.
Playing his game that evening, the Prince George’s County resident couldn’t believe his eyes. The $50,000 prize appeared under the one and only matching number on his instant ticket. “I was as happy as I’d been since my daughter was born, the happiest I’d been in years!” he said. There wasn’t a moment’s hesitation when asked what he would do with his prize.
“Now we will all be together in just a few months,” he said. “Before, we thought it might take two more years.”
Also benefiting from his big win is his lucky 7-Eleven #11568, which is located at 4410 Powder Mill Road in Beltsville. Because the store sold a top-prize winning scratch-off in the game, 7-Eleven will earn a $500 bonus from the Lottery. As for the popular You Win instant game, one more $50,000 top prize is unclaimed along with thousands of other prizes ranging from $5 to $5,000.