Players claim top prize on holiday-themed game
Holiday riches are welcome any time of year, even if the Holiday Riches scratch-off bought last winter doesn’t reveal its $50,000 top prize until spring.
A couple from Leesburg, Va., who enjoy playing scratch-offs on special occasions such as holidays and birthdays almost missed out on their Lottery luck. The wife, who works in Maryland, bought several holiday-themed instant tickets around Christmas, the winner said. The two played the instant tickets and then, about a week ago, she rediscovered the games. At first, she planned to toss the old instant tickets, thinking they were non-winners, but then decided to double-check each game. The very last instant ticket, the $5 Holiday Riches game, proved to be a top-prize winner.
She called her husband, who had long since forgotten about the scratch-offs, and told him she had big news. His first thought: “Baby?” Well no, she said, reminding him of the stack of Lottery games and said, “We won!”
The pair claimed their prize Feb. 28 at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. They plan to share the winnings with their family members and continue playing scratch-offs at special occasions. They also will continue buying tickets when rolling jackpots grow large.
The wife bought the hot instant ticket at Green Valley Convenience Store, 3737 Lawson Road in the Frederick-area community of Ijamsville. For selling a $50,000 top-prize winning scratch-off, the store receives a bonus of $500, equal to 1% of the prize.
The time of year for Holiday Riches scratch-offs has drawn to a close, but a range of seasonal games are on sale at the roughly 4,400 Maryland Lottery retailer partners across the state. This game has a last claim date for prizes of Oct. 3, 2022.
