As he and his wife pulled into the parking lot of the Walmart in Severn last month, an Anne Arundel County man remembered that the store had recently sold a $1 million-winning scratch-off ticket. That information encouraged the couple to seek out the Lottery vending machine while doing their grocery shopping. While a half-a-million-dollar winning Gifts of Green ticket wasn’t on their shopping list when they walked in, they were sure happy it was in their hands when they walked out.
“We’re big Lottery fans,” the retired plumber said when the two were visiting Lottery headquarters on April 10 to claim their prize. They made it clear that they would likely have bought Lottery tickets somewhere that day, but the store’s lucky reputation played a role in their purchase.
“I had $40 in my purse so we decided to each pick out a $20 scratch ticket,” Mrs. Big Winner said. While hers was a non-winner, his was the polar opposite.
“It just jumped out at me,” he said when asked why he’d chosen Gifts of Green.
The Annapolis pair scratched their tickets out in the car.
“I looked at him and he was just staring at the ticket. Then he handed it to me with the weirdest look on his face,” she said. She went on to say she probably had the exact same “look” 30 seconds later. “Numb” is the term they agreed best described their feelings in those few minutes. It took almost a half hour before they felt comfortable driving home.
The Gifts of Green instant game arrived on retailers’ shelves in October 2025 with seven $500,000 top prizes. Five $500,000 winners remain unclaimed. Four of the ticket’s $25,000 second-tier prizes are also still in circulation.
The Walmart at 407 George Clauss Boulevard in Severn receives a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling the top-prize-winning ticket.
