A $50,000 Max A Million scratch-off win led to “Pop Pop’s Surprise.” |
Scratch-off surprise comes to Queen Anne’s County man
Hitting the Lottery books (website, actually) proved beneficial for an Eastern Shore man this week. His search of scratch-off tickets that still had $1 million-winning tickets in circulation clued him into Max A Million, a $20 instant game released in November of 2018. While its six $1 million top prizes remain unclaimed, the Lottery “scholar” did relieve the game of one of its $50,000 second-tier prizes.
“Working outside for as long as I have has left me pretty beat-up,” said the 62-year-old home improvement specialist. “All those years of heavy lifting and ladder climbing limits what I can do now for fun. That’s one reason I enjoy the Lottery so much. The other is winning.”
This past weekend found our winner, who dubbed himself “Pop Pop,” doing some work on a home near Chestertown. As Lottery luck would have it, an Acme Markets store was nearby. “I saw that they had Max A Million, one of the tickets on my big-money list, so I grabbed one,” said the husband, father and grandfather.
Scratching his instant ticket there in the store, “Pop Pop” was surprised to see a match almost immediately and then shocked to see its corresponding prize. “I didn’t have my glasses with me so I studied the thing to make sure the $50,000 was really there.” Unconvinced, he asked the clerk to check the ticket. “All she said was, ‘Oh, my goodness.’ That’s when I knew for sure.”
The lucky Kent County Lottery retailer that helped deliver “Pop Pop’s Surprise” was Acme Markets #849 located at 711 Washington Avenue in Chestertown. The Max A Million game has eight more $50,000 prizes and 42 $10,000 prizes awaiting discovery in Maryland stores.
The Queen Anne’s County resident will bank his Max A Million prize as he keeps an eye (with glasses this time) out for a good investment or two. “This money will last,” he said. “It will be helping the family for a long while.”