Winner Lori Cichocki of Earleville (left) and her friend Coreana Sowards celebrate Lori’s $30,000 Dominoes win. |
Lottery luck found Lori Cichocki in Cecil County after the hungry mom made a lunchtime pit stop. As a volunteer firefighter, real estate agent and mother of three, the Earleville resident wears many hats and her $30,000 Dominoes scratch-off prize will help her afford many more!
“As I pulled into the Royal Farms in Cecilton to get some food, I remembered that I had several Lottery tickets to cash,” she said. The occasional player said the Dominoes game in stores since June is her current favorite. “It’s a fun ticket, I’ve been pretty lucky with it.” Her previous wins paid for her lunch with just enough left over to buy two more instant tickets. Happily, the store had lots of the $3 Dominoes game in stock for her to take home.
“I scratched them as I was eating,” said the 47-year-old. “When I saw that my matches added up to the $30,000, I almost started choking.” In disbelief, she called in her son’s girlfriend to check the instant ticket with her.
“Lori was shaking when I came in. She had tears in her eyes,” Coreana Sowards told Lottery officials. “When I looked at the ticket, I knew why.”
Asked about how her Dominoes prize would fit into her life, Lori mentioned the holidays. “We live a comfortable life, but it’s still paycheck to paycheck. I’d been worrying a bit about Christmas, about making it very special for my family.” Another goal for her prize? A family vacation. “It’s been years since we’ve been away.” That’s one more thing Lori can “scratch off” her to-do list!
Dominoes still has five $30,000 top prizes in circulation. Look for it at your neighborhood Lottery retailer or, if you’re in the upper Eastern Shore area, stop in at Royal Farms #136 at 115 North Bohemia Avenue in Cecilton. For selling a top-prize scratch-off in the game, the store earns a $300 bonus from the Lottery. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize.