Lottery Strategy Leads to $10,000 Prize for Morningside Grandpa

Morris Cobb - Royal Gems_webMorris Cobb of Morningside found a $10,000 winning Royal Gems scratch-off.

Plans to spend Royal Gems scratch-off winnings on his grandkids

Morris Cobb of Morningside has several theories about how to win big with Maryland Lottery scratch-offs. He relied on one of those strategies when selecting a Royal Gems scratch-off that paid off with a $10,000 instant win!

The strategy, said the retired Department of Agriculture employee, involves keeping an eye out for new games.

“It seems to me that when new games hit the stores, there are a few big winners almost immediately,” Morris said. Royal Gems, which went on sale about a month ago, fit the bill. The 75-year-old brought one of the $20 scratch-offs home from his favorite Lottery retailer, the Exxon station at 6500 Suitland Road in Morningside.

“I did a double take when I saw the match with the $10,000 under it. I was just stunned.” When he caught his breath, Morris called his wife over to take a look. “I could see on her face that she was as shocked as I was, more even.”

The couple scoured the ticket to make sure they were reading it correctly. Still in doubt, they returned to his lucky Exxon to verify the prize.

Making the big win even better for the Prince George’s County couple is the fact that they’ve come close to visiting the Lottery Winner’s Lounge several times in the past.

“We’ve missed big wins by one digit so many times,” Morris said. “And, more than once, the ticket right after the one I’ve bought turned out to be a huge winner.”

He plans to spoil his five grandchildren with the prize. “Christmas this year is going to be something special for the little ones in the family,” he said.

Royal Gems has many big winning tickets still in stores – two $1 million top prize winners, five $50,000 tickets and 16 of the $10,000 winning tickets that so thrilled the Cobb couple.