“Trying for a Long Time!” of Beltsville picked up a $100,000 top prize Feb. 1 after years of enjoying Maryland Lottery games. |
Second attempt is a winner on tickets purchased at Laurel store
After “trying all avenues for years,” a 58-year-old loyal player from Beltsville hit big on Feb. 1, scoring a top prize in the Maryland Lottery’s $100,000 Winter Winfall scratch-off game.
“When I saw it, I was jumping up and down a little,” said the lucky man, whose alias for Lottery publicity is “Trying for a Long Time!”
A player who enjoys the thrill of a variety of games, “Trying for a Long Time” dabbles in games ranging from the daily Pick 3 and Pick 4 to Keno and Racetrax. His go-to scratch-offs are the bingo- and crossword-themed instant tickets. Lately, he has played crossword- and bingo-style games but that changed when he noticed the $100,000 Winter Winfall scratch-off game for sale.
The Prince George’s County resident had played the $10 game just before Christmas and enjoyed it, so he tried it again. The lucky player hit for $50, so he bought another instant ticket at Cork & Bottle Liquors at 516 Main Street in Laurel, which is near his job. That scratch-off carried no prize but he kept thinking about the game while at work. About three hours went by before he visited the store again to buy one more $100,000 Winter Winfall instant ticket. After scratching it, he started jumping because it was a top-prize winner!
As for his plans for the prize, “Trying for a Long Time!” has a practical answer. “It’s going in the bank.” He also might pay off his car loan and get a new car, but said that’s a decision for another day.
For selling a winning top-prize scratch-off, Cork & Bottle Liquors shares in the luck. The Prince George’s County retailer earns a bonus of $1,000 from the Lottery; the bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize.
Three of the eight top prizes available when the game started in October are still unclaimed. In addition, players can search for the seven unclaimed $10,000 prizes along with thousands of others in the range of $10 to $1,000.