Charles Fisher of Frederick celebrates his top-prize win playing the $100,000 Crossword game. |
Retired school employee claims $100,000 prize
Charles Fisher of Frederick is thoroughly enjoying both his retirement and the excitement and cash tied to playing Maryland Lottery scratch-offs each week. The 69-year-old said a $100 win on a $100,000 Crossword game came as a welcome surprise. Even more welcome was hearing the instant ticket was worth $1,000 and then learning he really won $100,000.
“I’ve been playing this ticket for a while now,” Charles reported, “two or three times a week, probably since it came out.” The $100,000 Crossword game debuted last November. “Seems like I win a lot with it, more than with others, which is why I look for it.” Asked if winning the top prize was ever a consideration, Charles laughed. “Oh, no,” he said. “I never, ever expected anything like this, anything this big.”
The former Frederick County school employee told officials that at first glance, he thought his instant ticket from Waverly Beer and Wine in Frederick was a $100 winner. “I took it back to the store and scanned it. The machine didn’t say ‘$100 winner,’ so I asked the clerk to take a look.” The clerk did and proclaimed the scratch-off worth $1,000. “I was happy with that, but when I looked at it one more time, it seemed like there were too many zeroes for just $1,000.”
After he ran the scratch-off through the Lottery terminal, the clerk gave Charles news he never expected to hear. His game carried the $100,000 top prize. “When the guy told me it was $100,000, I was calm. I was as happy as I had been in a long time, but I stayed calm.”
The Frederick County retiree said he has no plans yet for his top prize. “I’ll put it in the bank for whatever comes up,” he said. “I’ll surely be sharing some with my kids and grandkids.”
Charles’ Lottery luck leaves one more $100,000 top prize unclaimed in the $10 game, which also has two more unclaimed $10,000 prizes. His retailer, Waverley Beer and Wine at 45A Waverly Drive in Frederick, also enjoys his brush with Lady Luck. For selling a $100,000 top-prize winning scratch-off, the Frederick County store earns a bonus of $1,000 from the Lottery.