Silver Spring resident buys $50,000-winning ticket in Beltsville
A Silver Spring man who won $50,000 on a Maryland Lottery Monopoly scratch-off said the lucky ticket touched off a night of celebration.
“It was party time,” said Sandy, smiling as he recalled the event that brought him to Lottery headquarters in Baltimore to claim the prize.
The auto mechanic and his friend found Lottery luck because of a spur-of-the-moment decision. They had just left a Beltsville phone store when they saw the Lottery retailer next door. They went into Maryland Farms Liquors and Sandy bought one of the $5 scratch-offs that are part of the Lottery’s Monopoly family of games.
The two men left with the instant ticket and went to their car, where they scratched off the game and discovered the lucky win. But was it real?
“We went back in and the owner confirmed the win,” Sandy said. The 23-year-old rarely plays scratch-offs, he said, and the big win is his first top prize. He plans to spend his $50,000 windfall on college student loans and his sister’s wedding expenses.
For selling the top-prize ticket in the game, the Prince George’s County retailer is also a winner. The Lottery will give Maryland Farms Liquors, located at 11450 Cherry Hill Road in Beltsville, a $500 bonus.
There are still three more unclaimed $50,000 prizes in the $5 game, which went on sale June 20 with other Monopoly scratch-offs. Players can choose their favorite Monopoly instant ticket from the family of $20, $10, $5, $2 or $1 games.