A Baltimore woman’s busy weekend turned into an unforgettable celebration after she scratched her way to a $30,000 top prize playing the Maryland Lottery’s $3 Bonus Crossword 7th Edition scratch-off game.
The winner visited Lottery headquarters Aug. 25 with her husband to claim the prize and share her story.
Over the weekend, the couple purchased a handful of scratch-off tickets to enjoy together.
“The weekend was so busy that we didn’t get a chance to play until Saturday evening,” the winner said. The first few tickets were non-winners, but then her husband scored a small win, $5 on a $1 ticket.
Next up was the $3 Bonus Crossword ticket.
“As I started scratching, I began counting the words that matched,” she said. “When I realized I had 10 words, I couldn’t believe it!” the winner said. That 10-word match was worth an impressive $30,000.
In disbelief, she immediately asked her husband to double-check the ticket. The following morning, the couple visited a local retailer to scan the ticket and confirm the win.
“When it said $30,000, we were in shock,” she said.
A Maryland Lottery player for more than 40 years, the winner has enjoyed a few $1,000 wins in the past, but nothing close to this amount. After verifying the prize, the couple returned home to celebrate and began discussing how they might use their windfall.
The wife hopes to take a vacation or tackle home renovations, while her husband is leaning toward saving or purchasing a new car.
“We’ll make sure to enjoy the winnings as best as we can,” they agreed.
When asked if they plan to continue playing, the answer was a resounding “yes.”
“We’re still in shock,” she said with a smile. “But we absolutely plan to keep playing. It’s a great feeling to be on top!”
This top-prize winner was purchased from the Golden BP at 1900 West Lafayette Avenue in Baltimore, which receives a $300 bonus.
This is the third top-prize win for the 7th Edition of Bonus Crossword, which reached retailers’ shelves in February. Five $30,000 winning tickets remain in circulation as well as 12 at the $5,000 level.
