Calling a $500,000 Maryland Lottery win on a scratch-off a “game changer,” a Havre de Grace man and his wife expect to transition from being semi-retired to being fully retired.
“She says we will still need something to do,” the winner said when he claimed the half-million-dollar windfall Nov. 26 at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. That said, working a few days a week doesn’t necessarily have to be part of that “something to do.”
One way or another, though, he’s looking forward to more leisure time thanks to this win on the $20 Gifts of Green ticket. He also won $20,000 on a Ravens scratch-off last month.
He’s spreading the winnings among family members and has his mind on a “nice vacation, possibly to Italy.”
Though he’s been playing scratch-offs for years, the two recent wins are his biggest ever. Previously, he said, his biggest wins have been a few at the $1,000 level. He expects to continue playing, but probably not as much.
Post Road Liquors at 1123 Revolution Street in Havre de Grace also wins. For selling the winning ticket, the Harford County store will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery.
On sale since Oct. 17, the game started with seven top prizes at the $500,000 level, but the Havre de Grace winner’s score reduced the number of unclaimed big wins to six. The game also has six $25,000 prizes unclaimed, along with tens of thousands of others ranging from $20 to $5,000.
