Happy Birthday, Here’s $30,000!

Grandpa celebrates his big day in Maryland Lottery Winner’s Lounge

Hearts are Wild TriplerA Camp Springs octogenarian spent part of his 81st birthday with the Maryland Lottery in Baltimore, where he celebrated his big day by claiming a $30,000 top prize on the Lottery’s Hearts are Wild Tripler scratch-off.

The married winner is a veteran, an engineer who has worked all over the globe, a grandfather of five and a relatively new Lottery player enjoying his first big win.

“A friend of ours won $10,000 on a scratcher a few years ago,” he told Lottery officials. “I’ve been trying my luck ever since, usually with good results.”

Winning $30,000 is his best result to date, he said. “Hearts are Wild Tripler is one of my favorite tickets, so I grabbed one yesterday when I stopped for groceries.”

Following his routine, the Prince George’s County resident took the $3 ticket home and scratched it while alone. “He walked into the living room to show me what he’d won, exactly as he does when he has a $10 or $20 winner,” his wife said. “There was no sign of anything unusual. It took me a couple of looks to realize what he was showing me.”

The couple plans to enjoy spending their prize with their grandchildren. They’ll share their good news with the family when everyone gathers to celebrate our winner’s birthday.

Our winner plans to continue stopping by his lucky retailer, Noah’s Supermarket at 7601 Old Branch Avenue in Clinton, to buy his scratch-offs. He also plans to keep playing the Hearts are Wild Tripler game, which has two $30,000 top-prize tickets awaiting discovery in stores around the state. For selling the winning scratch-off, the store will receive a $300 bonus from the Lottery.