A Baltimore man recorded his place in Maryland Lottery football history this week when he became one of the high scorers on the Ravens X5 football-themed scratch-off. The barn-burning affair began when the 80-year-old scratched off the $2 game, winning one of its $20,000 top prizes.
Explaining his luck, the player just pointed one finger skyward, telling Lottery officials that the stroke of luck he experienced had help from above. “I was shocked,” he said.
As he scratched the instant ticket at a table at Maiden Choice Liquors in Baltimore, each of his winning numbers began to match the numbers on his game. He scanned the scratch-off, noting the matches one by one until he noticed they all were matches — a Ravens shutout! The happy retiree totaled the prizes and scanned the instant ticket to confirm his $20,000 win.
The player, who worked for several decades with the former Baltimore City Builders Department, is also a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant. The veteran told Lottery officials that the prize will go toward several bills as well as costs related to a family member’s hospitalization.
“This will be a lot of help,” he said.
Maiden Choice Liquors located at 1064 Maiden Choice Lane is doing its own end-zone celebration. For selling the top-prize winning scratch-off, the lucky Lottery store will score a $200 retailer bonus.
Retailers around the state are selling the Lottery’s two Ravens multiplier games. Also for sale is the Ravens X10 scratch-off. Players can also win great Ravens-themed prizes and cash through the second-chance contest at mdlottery.com/ravens. Enter non-winning $2 and $5 Ravens scratch-offs through My Lottery Rewards. The next deadline to enter is Nov. 12.