Wins $50,000 Top Prize on Cruise for Cash Scratch-Off
Zheng Hai Zheng buys scratch-off tickets about twice a year. That sporadic play paid off for the restaurant owner a couple of weeks ago when he bought two Cruise for Cash scratch-off tickets. “I was getting gas and had $10 in loose change in my pocket,” said Zheng. “I decided to buy two tickets.” Zheng scratched his Cruise for Cash purchases right there at the pump and revealed his win on the last number. His reaction – “I better get in the car.” The 26-year-old father-of-two immediately headed home to share his news with his family. “They were pretty excited,” said Zheng. “They thought I was joking.”
Zheng, who hails from China, has been in the United States since 1994 and owns Hibachi Sushi Supreme Buffet in Glen Burnie. The happy winner intends to use his windfall to buy real estate, perhaps some type of rental property. While Zheng has no plans to increase his Lottery play, his big win spurred his wife and sister to try their luck. The result? His sister scratched her way to $500 on an instant ticket the day after her brother’s big win. Zheng purchased his winning Cruise for Cash scratch-off at Brooklyn BP, located at 101 Patapsco Ave. in Baltimore.
The $5 Cruise for Cash scratch-off, which partners the Maryland Lottery with Royal Caribbean ® International, launched on January 10, 201l. The first ticket of its kind for the Maryland Lottery, the ticket features seven $50,000 instant top prizes, as well as 31 instant seven-night cruise vacations for two departing from Florida with a premium ocean view balcony stateroom; first class round-trip airfare- for-two to Florida; deluxe premium hotel accommodations for two for the night prior to cruise departure, $1,000 onboard credit and $500 spending money.
Cruise for Cash also features a second-chance contest with six more chances to win a nine-night cruise vacation for two, departing from the Port of Baltimore. Second-chance cruise prizes include a premium ocean view balcony stateroom on any one of Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships departing from the Port of Baltimore and a $1,000 onboard credit. Players enter the second-chance contest by mailing in a non-winning Cruise for Cash scratch-off to the address on the back of the ticket or by going online at mdlottery.com/cruise. Players who enter online MUST keep their original Cruise for Cash ticket to present for validation. ?