Elkton man claims top prize on Lottery’s Show Me the Money instant ticket
What is the secret to winning big on a Maryland Lottery scratch-off? An Elkton man summed up his answer in three words: “Keep it Simple!”
The happy Cecil County man did just that and won $50,000 on a Show Me the Money instant ticket. He applies his keep-it-simple philosophy to the type of scratch-off he selects to play, the price of the games he plays and the total amount he typically spends per purchase.
“I only like to buy the scratch-offs tickets that are simple and easy to figure out where I’m matching their numbers to mine,” he said, chuckling. His simple strategy for buying instant tickets is to only buy the $5 and $10 games. And, he typically limits his total Lottery purchase to $20.
On the day good fortune found our Lottery winner, he deviated only slightly from his formula for success. The 51-year-old visited Ricky’s Market at 401 Landing Lane in Elkton and purchased only one $5 Show Me the Money scratch-off. That one ticket was all the father of two needed, however, because it really did show him the money! He scratched his way to the $50,000 win.
“When I saw that my ticket revealed the $50,000 prize, I did a double take,” he said. “I had to get my daughter to look at it because I thought I was seeing it wrong.”
The lucky winner said his strategy worked well all last year. The Amazing 8s scratch-off, which was one of his favorite tickets, put $500 in his pocket. Another time, when his car wouldn’t start, he bought a few instant tickets while waiting in the parking lot of a local Lottery retailer and won another $500. He plans to spend his winnings on a new vehicle, put some money into savings for his two daughters and bank the rest.
For selling the top-tier ticket, the lucky retailer will receive a $500 bonus from the Maryland Lottery. Three winning scratch-offs worth $50,000 are still in stores waiting to be purchased.