A lucky feeling brought Rigoberto Arita Maldonado and his $50,000 winning Home Run Riches instant ticket together. |
Claims $50,000 prize on Home Run Riches game
Rigoberto Arita Maldonado of Laurel has watched his aunt win often – especially in recent weeks – with Maryland Lottery scratch-offs. In fact, she’s won so often with the Home Run Riches game that when a “lucky feeling” compelled him to buy a scratch-off, the roofer bought her $5 game of choice and nailed its $50,000 top prize.
The 21-year-old was traveling to an appointment when the impulse to try a Lottery scratch-off overcame him.
“I play once in a while for fun,” Rigoberto said. “But, this feeling just hit me. I needed to get a ticket right now!”
As luck would have it, he soon passed Lottery retailer Value Dollar in Hyattsville. And, just as lucky was the fact that the store carried the Home Run Riches game.
“She plays a lot and is always winning,” he said. “She said Home Run Riches was her favorite, and that she won more with it than with others.”
After revealing his instant ticket’s barcode, Rigoberto ran the scratch-off through the Lottery ticket checker to see if he’d won a prize.
“I saw a message I’d never seen before,” he said. “I wondered what could be wrong with the machine.” He finished scratching off the Home Run Riches instant ticket and that ended any confusion. “My hands were shaking when I saw the $50,000 win. I couldn’t believe it was true,” he said. “I didn’t know what to think, what to do.” A phone call to his family, especially one to his aunt, revived him from his happy haze.
Rigoberto plans to use his prize to jump-start the opening of a small business that he’s been planning. His $50,000 win leaves three top-prize Home Run Riches winning tickets on store shelves along with five unclaimed $5,000 prizes and thousands of others ranging from $10 to $1,000.
His lucky retailer also wins. For selling the top-prize scratch-off in the game, Value Dollar located at 8030 New Hampshire Avenue earns a $500 bonus from the Lottery.
The Home Run Riches game has a second-chance contest that is putting cash in the hands of players. Enter non-winning Home Run Riches scratch-offs into My Lottery Rewards for a chance to win $500 and designation as Contestant of the Game and $500 for every home run hit by an Orioles player in that game. Upcoming entry deadlines are July 24 and Aug. 28.