Virginia man claims $50,000 top prize on Fantasy 5s game
A Virginia man visiting Baltimore saw his big-win fantasy come true, thanks to the appropriately named Fantasy 5s scratch-off he bought in Maryland.
The Springfield resident was visiting friends when he bought his first Maryland scratch-off from Lottery retailer Compass Express in Middle River. The 29-year-old has bought Lottery games in Virginia.
“I wanted to try something different and I never tried a scratch-off in Maryland,” he said. The lucky player pocketed the Fantasy 5s ticket and continued to hang out with his friends. He didn’t discover the $50,000 top-prize win until after he returned to Virginia.
“I just couldn’t believe it, so I went on the Internet to make sure I was playing the game correctly,” said the winner, who works as a machine operator at a printing company. Still in disbelief, the lucky man called his wife to help confirm his win. “She didn’t believe it either,” he said. They next enlisted the help of an uncle, who is an avid scratch-off player, and he added up all the winning amounts to confirm the prize.
The excited parents of two small children with one on the way secured the ticket and endured a sleepless weekend. They anxiously thought about their good fortune and plans for the win. Since they are expecting a baby, the proud papa said some of the winnings will go toward a baby shower. He also plans to pay off some debt and look into buying a house.
For selling the top-prize scratch-off in the game, Compass Express located at 3 Compass Road will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery. The game is packed with lots more prizes for players, including three more $50,000 top prizes, nine $5,000 prizes and over 400,000 prizes ranging from $5 to $1,000.