“Mr. Horseshoe” and his wife celebrate their second substantial Lottery prize in two years. He won $50,000 on the $500,000 Crossword scratch-off. |
$50,000 hit on $500,000 Crossword game follows $10,000 score in 2017
Once is not enough. When it comes to winning a big Maryland Lottery prize, a Glen Burnie player who won $10,000 in 2017 decided to keep trying to win another big one. On Oct. 12, he bought a $500,000 Crossword scratch-off that delivered a $50,000 prize.
By the time the loyal player claimed his prize on Nov. 7, his wife was thinking winning big twice might not be enough!
“We’ll be back in two years,” said the wife of the winner, who added, “if not sooner.” The happy player, who is going by the nickname “Mr. Horseshoe,” has played draw games such as Pick 3 and Pick 4 in the past but plays scratch-off games these days.
“I just seem to have better luck with those,” he said. If he’s in the mood to play, the Anne Arundel County resident will pick up a crossword game like the lucky one he bought for $20. He also has a fondness for the new Winter Cash Tripler, a $10 instant ticket.
On the Saturday he crossed paths with Lottery luck, “Mr. Horseshoe” was running errands. He decided to swing by Wawa convenience store #8503 at 7124 Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie. “Mr. Horseshoe” got snacks and picked up a few scratch-offs. The first two were non-winners, so by the time he got to the third game his crossword-playing mood had faded. The 52-year-old scratched off the prize check area on the $500,000 Crossword game, which was the third instant ticket, and scanned it with his phone.
“I looked at it for several minutes,” he said. “Mr. Horseshoe” was astonished that the Maryland Lottery app on his phone said he won $50,000. He knew his wife would think he was pulling a prank if he called and told her, so “Mr. Horseshoe” drove home to show her the instant ticket. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
Once the shock of the big win wore off, “Mr. Horseshoe” signed the back of his instant ticket and put it away for four weeks. “It’s been driving me crazy,” the wife said. “If I don’t cash it, you can’t spend it,” responded “Mr. Horseshoe.”
The pair plans to use the winnings to put a deck on their home. The last big prize, they said, also went to home upgrades. In addition, the couple may celebrate with dinner at a nice restaurant.
The $20 $500,000 Crossword game has climbed to the No. 5 spot on the Maryland Lottery Top 40 Scratch-Offs chart from the No. 7 spot it held last week. On sale since Sept. 23, the game has seven of the original eight top prizes of $500,000 still unclaimed as well as eight $50,000 prizes and 29 $10,000 prizes.