Melody and Tyrone of Delaware are house hunting after winning $50,000 playing the Holiday Cash scratch-off game. |
A Delaware couple can intensify their search for a new home after discovering the $50,000 top prize in the Maryland Lottery’s Holiday Cash scratch-off game.
Melody Palmer of Seaford can thank her husband Tyrone for their big win. Last week, Tyrone was on a lunch break from his job in Maryland when he decided to buy a batch of $5 scratch-offs for the couple to enjoy.
He purchased four Maryland 7s and four Holiday Cash scratch-offs at Goose Creek Food Stores #10 in Hurlock because Melody likes the holiday-themed games. When he finished work, Tyrone came home and handed the Holiday Cash instant tickets to his wife.
“I propped up my feet and started scratching,” said Melody, a nursing home employee. “I like to scratch the winning numbers first and then the prizes.” Half way through her games, the 34-year-old noticed she matched a number and was shocked to see the prize underneath — $50,000!
“My whole brain just shut down,” said the winner. “I showed it to my husband to make sure.”
“It was a winner all right,” said Tyrone. “ I said, ‘Guess I’ll take off work tomorrow and take a trip to Baltimore.’ ”
The winners shared the good news with several family members. Then, the parents of six hid the lucky scratch-off in a safe place until they could claim the prize the next day. One of the family members that accompanied them to Lottery headquarters in Baltimore on Friday said she didn’t believe their luck until they sent her a photo of the winning scratch-off.
The happy couple have been trying to move into a new home and said this win will help them achieve that goal. Melody also plans to use some of the winnings for holiday shopping.
This was the first $50,000 top prize claimed on the Holiday Cash scratch-off game; six $50,000 top prizes remain. Holiday Cash is also a member of a family of holiday games that offer players ways to win big by entering non-winning holiday scratch-offs into the Holiday Cash & Dash second-chance promotion. Players can try to win a trip to Chicago for a 90-second warehouse dash, cash prizes ranging from $1,000 to $25,000 or $300 in scratch-offs. Enter the promotion through My Lottery Rewards.
The retailer that sold the Holiday Cash ticket also has a reason to celebrate. For selling a top-prize scratch-off of $50,000, Goose Creek Food Stores #10 located at 105 Delaware Avenue in Dorcester County earned a $500 bonus from the Lottery. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize.