A Prince George’s County man stopped by Lottery headquarters on Jan. 9 to collect what he described as the “well-earned” winnings due him as a $50,000 top-prize Gold Bar Bingo winner. The several-times-a-week player is a scratch-off fan and especially enjoys the games that take a bit of time, he said after claiming his winnings.
“Crossword and Bingo games are my favorites,” the electrician said. “I know that these things are random and all have odds that are tough to beat,” he shared, referring to lottery tickets in general. “But when you have to spend a few minutes to play it, which I enjoy doing, it just sort of feels like you’re working for whatever you win.”
The Greenbelt winner’s refusal to believe his eyes when he finished scratching caused him to put in a whole lot of time on the Gold Bar Bingo ticket he bought at the Centerway Mini Mart.
“I must have studied it for 15 minutes, but I still couldn’t accept that it was a $50,000 winner,” he said.
It turns out that he’s been disappointed twice in the past, believing a ticket he scratched to carry a sizeable prize only to find out he’d read the rules incorrectly. So anxious was he to avoid a third such mistake that he set the ticket aside until a close friend arrived to take a look – two days later.
“She confirmed the win and even took me to a store to scan it. There were no more reasons I could find to deny the $50,000,” he reflected.
Gold Bar Bingo is a $5 game that debuted in July 2025 with eight top prizes. Three $50,000 winners remain unclaimed, along with five second-tier winners good for $10,000 each. Centerway Mini Mart is in Greenbelt at 109 Centerway in the Roosevelt Center. The Prince George’s County business receives a $500 bonus for selling the top-prize-winning ticket.
