$10,000 win offers a life lesson on taking chances
A college professor took a $10,000 break between classes this week, visiting Maryland Lottery headquarters to collect his biggest prize ever. The frequent player of other Lottery games only recently started his study of scratch-offs and quickly earned high marks with a $20 game!
The Crofton resident’s $10,000 win with the Hit It Big game first caused him to question his vision. The scratch-off prize also reminded him of the joy of those random surprises that life occasionally sends your way.
His winning experience began with a trip to a Hanover grocery store. As he finished his shopping, a scratch-off vending machine in the Safeway at 7643 Arundel Mills Boulevard caught his eye. “I saw that the machine had Hit It Big,” he said. “I’ve played that one a few times and enjoyed it, so that’s what I chose.”
Scratching off his ticket later at home, the 50-year-old husband and father of two uncovered a Double symbol in the play area and knew that it meant something good. “I thought to myself, ‘Did I just win? Is this possible?’ ” A visit to a Lottery retailer confirmed his luck and got him thinking about how to spend his winnings.
“My family is going on a vacation soon,” he said. “This will cover all the costs, and then some.”
The lesson our lucky professor takes from his experience is one that can apply to other situations and opportunities. “Buying that ticket was the key, of course. The odds are always against a big win, but you have to give life the opportunity to work out for you. It’s probably not going to happen, but if you don’t buy a ticket, it definitely isn’t going to happen.”
Hit It Big carries a $1 million top prize, of which two are still available. Two $50,000 winning tickets are still out there as well as 18 more of the $10,000 prizes our professor took home.