Sweeps his way to a $50,000 top prize
A loyal Maryland Lottery scratch-off player who does custodial work for a local school cleaned up with a $50,000 top prize on the Holiday Riches instant ticket.
The Baltimore resident decided to buy the $5 game while at Royal Farms #128 in Baltimore, where he stopped to fuel his vehicle and put air in the tires.
“It was Saturday and I was off, so I usually treat myself to a scratch-off,” said the 43-year-old. “When I got home, I figured I’d scratch the ticket.”
The lucky winner said that he had only glanced at the instant ticket after scratching it because he was on the phone at the time.
“I really had no idea I had won big,” he said. “I figured I’d check the ticket later after I grabbed some Chinese food so I put the ticket in my shirt pocket.”
When he got to the restaurant to pick up his food, he checked his lucky instant ticket to see if he’d won anything. “Boy, did I get the shock of my life,” he said. “And to think I was about to throw the ticket in the trash. That is what I do for a living! Thank goodness I didn’t.”
The lucky Lottery retailer also benefits from the big win. For selling a top-prize scratch-off in the game, Royal Farms at 3320 Eastern Boulevard earns a $500 bonus from the Lottery.
The Holiday Riches scratch-off, one of the Lottery’s five holiday scratch-offs, went on sale in October and still has five $50,000 top prizes remaining. Players can find plenty of prizes ranging from $5 to $5,000 on the game.
All non-winning holiday scratch-offs are eligible for entry into the Holiday Cash & Dash second-chance promotion running through Jan. 16. Players enter the promotion through My Lottery Rewards for a chance to win great prizes like a trip for two to a Chicago warehouse to load a shopping cart with as many items as possible in 90 seconds. Players can also win cash prizes and books of scratch-offs. Find out more at mdlottery.com/holiday.