Discovering 10x bonus multiplier on game sparks second celebration
The latest big winner in the Maryland Lottery’s Instant Keno scratch-off game enjoyed a double celebration with friends and family after scratching her way to a $10,000 prize.
The Annapolis resident purchased her lucky instant ticket on Saturday morning at Pantry 1 Food Mart & Deli located a 1090 Spa Road in Annapolis. She scratched it off when she got home and was happily shocked to see that she had won $1,000.
“I said, ‘No way, I’m not gonna get this,’ and I kept reading the numbers to make sure it was right,” she said.
The first celebration took place when she realized that she did, indeed, match enough numbers to win $1,000. But there was still more winning to come. She hadn’t scratched the Bonus Wheel portion of the ticket. Hiding beneath it was a 10x multiplier, making her scratch-off worth $10,000.
“It was curtains after that,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
The prize is by far the largest she’s ever won playing Lottery games. Her previous best was a $500 prize on a bingo-style scratch-off. She also enjoys playing Pick 3 and Pick 4. The mother of three is a grandmother of nine, with a 10th grandchild on the way. She said she hid the ticket over the weekend in a “special place,” adding that it was a long wait until she could claim her prize Monday at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. She plans to use the money to pay bills and may plan a vacation.
The $3 Instant Keno ticket launched in February and three of its $30,000 top prizes are still hiding at Lottery retailers. There are also six more $10,000 prizes and more than 500,000 other prizes ranging from $3 to $2,038.