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Avid scratch-off player takes home Monopoly prize
U.S. Army veteran William Crotti just enjoyed a week of wins on the job front and, thanks to the Maryland Lottery, on the home front with a $10,000 boost in his personal finances! On Monday, the Anne Arundel County resident was offered a new job. On Tuesday, after scratching off his daily Lottery tickets purchased at EZ Quick Food Mart in Pasadena, he became $10,000 richer and ready to set a wedding date with his fiancé.
“It was a crazy day,” the Glen Burnie man told Lottery officials, while sitting next to his fiancé Melinda and their baby, Olivia. “I had already won a fair amount on scratch-offs earlier that day. I just had a feeling that there was still something bigger out there for me that day, and it turned out I was right.”
After scratching the winning Monopoly ticket in the store, he went over to the owner and said, “I think I just won $10,000.” The owner looked at the $10 scratch-off and, with a big smile, confirmed the win. William quickly sent a text to Melinda stating that he had a big surprise.
“I figured he had maybe won $1,000,” Melinda said. “When he came home and showed me that it was a $10,000 winner, I couldn’t believe it!”
William, who started playing the Lottery in January, has a winning strategy. The 30-year-old checks the Lottery’s website regularly to see which tickets have the most top prizes remaining. He also reads Lottery winner stories to find out where they purchased their winning tickets. For example, by selling his winning scratch-off, EZ Quick Food Mart at 231 Mountain Road in Pasadena joins a list of lucky retailers.
William and Melinda have big plans for their Lottery windfall. While they will save some of the prize and buy new clothes for Olivia, they are also excited to finally get married and set a wedding date. “We’ve been waiting for two years and now we can make it official,” he said.
This $10 Monopoly scratch-off ticket is a member of the Lottery’s Monopoly family of tickets. Monopoly scratch-offs are available at the $1, $2, $5 and $10 price point and carry top prizes of $1,000 to $100,000. There are still four unclaimed top prizes of $100,000 on the $10 ticket along with eight unclaimed $10,000 prizes.