Grocery Shopper Racks Up $30,000 Lottery Win

Annapolis woman claims top prize on Rack Up The Cash scratch-off

Rack up the CashAn Annapolis mom who felt inspired to add a Maryland Lottery scratch-off to her grocery cart bagged a real winner.

Her Rack Up The Cash instant ticket paid a whopping $30,000, which amazes the novice player. “I’ll play more now,” she said with a smile. Her husband often plays scratch-offs but she is new to instant ticket games. On Friday, Nov. 1, the day our lucky special events planner found her fortune, she recalls feeling inspired to buy the $3 ticket even though she had never seen it before and doesn’t play pool.

“I scratched it in the store and I didn’t know how to tell if I won,” she admitted. A helpful store manager delivered the good news and directed her to Lottery headquarters in Baltimore to claim her prize. There was just one big problem: Lottery headquarters is closed on the weekend and she had to wait several days to turn in the scratch-off.

That lucky ticket spent the weekend in a variety of secret spots. She and her husband, who is a supervisor for an area water and sewer company, kept hiding and rehiding the ticket. They tucked it into a book and, at one point, placed it behind a picture frame. “My husband moved it several times,” she said.

The couple has lived in the Eastport community of Annapolis more than a decade. Many in the community may have known her late son, nicknamed “Eggy,” who graduated from Annapolis High School in 2009. Her 14-year-old niece and 13-year-old nephew currently live with them, she said, but only one of the two children knows about the win. They plan to keep it quiet! What will they do with their newfound cash? “Pay off bills and have fun with the rest,” she said.

This happy shopper found her winning ticket at the Pantry 1 Food Mart at 1090 Spa Road in Annapolis.