Halethorpe Player Has Blast of Luck on July 3, Wins $100,000

Night-shift worker plans to pay down mortgage with scratch-off windfall

On the eve of the Fourth of July, a Maryland Lottery player from Halethorpe was running errands and decided to pick up a $10 scratch-off. The result was a $100,000 score.

“I pick up scratch-offs every now and then,” said the 43-year-old, who has played Lottery games for 20 years. After buying a $1,000 Loaded instant ticket at the Circle K – Carroll Independent Fuel at 3107 Hammonds Ferry Road in Halethorpe, he went home and scratched off the game. The Baltimore County resident matched a winning number on the fifth row and then revealed the $100,000 prize.

“I looked at it about 10 times,” he said. “Then, I got my son up to double-check.” Both father and son work the night shift. He immediately contacted his wife by phone to let her know about his good fortune. The $100,000 prize is, after all, the biggest one he had ever won.

The couple are taking a practical approach to the windfall. They will use it to pay down the mortgage on their home and the happy husband will keep playing scratch-offs.

The lucky Lottery retailer wins, too. For selling a top-prize winning scratch-off worth $100,000, the retailer will receive a bonus of $1,000 from the Lottery. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize.

The $10 $1,000 Loaded game is one of five members of a Loaded family of games. Players can still find plenty of prizes in the instant ticket, including six $100,000 top prizes, seven $20,000 prizes and 20 $10,000 prizes.