Bernard Simms claims his $150,000 prize. |
Claims top prize on King Size Bingo ticket
Bernard Simms was so excited during the July 4 holiday he missed two major zeros on his Maryland Lottery scratch-off ticket. He played his King Size Bingo scratch-off the night before and revealed what he thought was a $500 win.
When he went to cash the ticket on Independence Day, the retiree was surprised when the Lottery retailer told him to take the ticket to Lottery headquarters to cash. After studying the ticket for a few moments longer, the Baltimore man was shocked to see he had actually won a $150,000 top prize.
“He called me and asked me if I could give him a ride somewhere today,” said Bernard’s niece, who accompanied him to claim the prize. “He didn’t tell me where we were going until I got to his house. I couldn’t believe it!”
Bernard, who worked as a grocery produce manager for 31 years, has been retired for 13 years. “Now I can enjoy my retirement a little bit more,” he said.
In addition, he plans to give some of his winnings to family members. Bernard and his niece told Lottery officials that scratch-offs have always been around in their family. They shared a memory they had about Bernard’s mother.
“When she was 96-years-old, she would almost expect her kids and grandchildren to bring her a scratch-off when we visited,” Bernard joked. “Playing the Lottery definitely runs in our family.”
He bought the winning ticket at Sunoco A Plus, located at 4719 York Rd. in Baltimore