Belcamp’s Walker Bazemore is all grins over his $30,000 Polar Payout scratch-off win. |
Belcamp man claims $30,000 top prize on Polar Payout game
With preparations for his birthday gathering almost complete, Walker Bazemore waited anxiously for the arrival of his friends. And then, the Belcamp resident remembered he had forgotten to buy sour cream for the party!
A phone call to his sister, who was en route, remedied that error. But it was the Maryland Lottery Polar Payout scratch-off that Walker’s sister picked up for him as a last-minute gift that made his birthday bash one for the history books.
“My sister had exactly $3 in change, so she bought me a $3 Lottery ticket,” said the now 26-year-old. “I have never bought a Lottery ticket in my life – still haven’t – so it was a new experience when she gave it to me.”
Walker played the holiday-themed scratch-off about 30 minutes before his guests began knocking on the door. Needless to say, discovering a $30,000 top-prize win put him in a festive mood. However, the novice player insisted on confirming the win at a nearby Lottery retailer.
“My sister is a prankster, we both are,” he said. “We’re always trying to get one another. I really thought it was a joke when I saw the $30,000, that it was a fake ticket.”
The engineering technician had just enough time before guests arrived to run to a retailer to verify his Lottery luck. “It was sheer jubilation when the guy at the store ran it through the machine and told me it was a winner,” he said. “This really is a life-changer for me.”
The happy winner will put his prize toward bills. He just bought a condominium and is encumbered with college student loan debt so the $30,000 is a big help.
This top-prize win is Polar Payout’s first, leaving three more unclaimed $30,000 winning scratch-offs for players to find. The game also has thousands of prizes ranging from $3 to $1,000.
As one of five holiday scratch-offs, this game is eligible for entry into the Holiday Cash & Dash second-chance promotion running through Jan. 16. Enter any non-winning holiday scratch-off into the promotion through My Lottery Rewards. Get a chance to win great prizes like a trip for two to a Chicago warehouse to load a shopping cart with as many items as possible in 90 seconds. Players can also win cash prizes and books of scratch-offs. Find out more at mdlottery.com/holiday.
The lucky Harford County retailer that sold his sister the scratch-off is also a winner. EZ Quick Food Market located at 2105 Calvary Road in Bel Air earns a $300 bonus from the Lottery for selling the top-prize scratch-off in the game.