Frederick County Vietnam Veteran Wins Top Prize on $50,000 Cash Game

Near win on Pick 5 motivated him to try scratch-off

A Western Maryland man who is a loyal Pick 5 player decided to try a scratch-off after only four of his five numbers were drawn. Instead of being discouraged, he was motivated by the close call to purchase a $50,000 Cash scratch-off.

“I go every day to play numbers and I was off by one. So, I decided to try a scratch-off since I came so close. I was feeling lucky,” he said with a smile. Lottery luck was with him because the Vietnam veteran won the $50,000 top prize on the $20 scratch-off!

When he scanned the prize check area of his instant ticket at the Liberty Circle K in Frederick County, the Frederick County resident saw the message “Go to Lottery” appear. That curious message led him to scratch off the entire instant ticket to reveal his top-prize win.

“It was a $50,000 winner! I said to myself, ‘You got to be kidding me!’ I couldn’t believe it,” he recalled.

The 78-year-old said he is enjoying retirement after years of service as a government worker. He plans to use his prize to pay bills.

For its role in selling the $50,000 top-prize winning scratch-off, Circle K at 100 Sandstone Drive in Walkersville will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery.

The $50,000 Cash instant ticket is one of the top ten most popular scratch-offs for the Maryland Lottery. The game started at the end of 2022 with 160 $50,000 top prizes and this winner claimed the 47th top prize, leaving 113 $50,000 prizes still remaining along with others ranging from $20 to $5,000.