Blue skies ahead! Glen Burnie air traffic manager Stephen Batchelder wins $50,000 just in time for his retirement. |
Glen Burnie man claims prize in $2,000,000 Fortune game
Many Maryland Lottery players are familiar with the lift that a win can provide and a Glen Burnie man discovered that a large win can lift your spirits into the stratosphere. The 59-year-old air traffic manager found a $50,000 winning $2,000,000 Fortune scratch-off this week!
The work that winner Stephen Batchelder performs at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is a carefully orchestrated choreography of airplanes, airspace and runways. The lucky winner has guided air traffic at several airports for over 40 years and is now just months away from retirement. The only blip Stephen didn’t have on his radar was winning a large Lottery prize.
The excitement began when Stephen stopped by his favorite Lottery location, the Soda Pop Shop, to purchase Powerball tickets. “I play the long odds on the jackpot games, so I began adding a $30 scratch-off to my purchases,” he said.
Although the odds to win the game’s $2,000,000 top prize are steep, the $30 game features overall odds of 1 in 2.82 to win any prize. Stephen’s first ticket won $30, allowing him to purchase another ticket. The second ticket revealed a winning number that matched the $50,000 prize.
Stephen shared news of the win with his girlfriend, co-workers and the clerks of his lucky store, which is located at 337 Hospital Drive in Glen Burnie. He is looking forward to kicking off a retirement full of family time and fishing and a large Lottery prize just makes the accomplishment sweeter. “This will help me make the transition to retirement,” Stephen said.
The $2,000,000 Fortune scratch-off, which launched in February, has four $2,000,000 top prizes remaining along with 11 more $50,000 prizes and thousands of others ranging from $30 to $5,000.