Baltimore man claims top prize on Fruit Explosion scratch-off
Finding a cherry, orange and peach while at lunch is normally nothing to call home about – unless you’re the Baltimore man who found those three fruits and the word $30,000 on his winning Maryland Lottery Fruit Explosion scratch-off!
The 32-year-old player bought two scratch-offs and some chicken on a recent Friday at a Royal Farms in Baltimore and headed home.
“It’s bad luck to scratch in the store,” he said.
The loyal player, who works with the disabled, settled down to enjoy lunch and some scratch-off fun. He favors the Lottery’s lower-priced scratch-offs, usually tickets in the $1 to $5 range. The $3 Fruit Explosion game caught his eye because it was so colorful, he said.
As soon as he revealed the top prize on the scratch-off, he stopped eating and called his dad.
“Nobody ever believes you,” he said.
The two men verified the amount of the win at two different Lottery retailers and then hid the ticket in a cabinet during the weekend before claiming the prize at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore.
The married father of two young children said he’ll put the winnings in the bank for now. This is his biggest prize to date and may not be his last, since he plans to keep playing Lottery scratch-offs. Big winners are great news to lucky stores such as the Royal Farms #91-E located at 920 W. 36th Street in Baltimore. Lottery retailers earn bonuses for selling top-prize tickets, and the sale of this winning Fruit Explosion scratch-off will give the store a $300 bonus. Fruit Explosion launched in August, and four of its $30,000 top-prize tickets are still waiting to be found at Lottery retailers.