Claims Monopoly game’s $50,000 top prize
A trip to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia gave a Westminster man a “magic wand” that may – or may not – have played a role in his landing a $50,000 top prize on a Maryland Lottery Monopoly scratch-off.
The saga of the lucky wand began when the winner and his friends took a trip to Harpers Ferry. The sales engineer discovered an odd object in the water. He investigated and saw it was a piece of wire with years of sediment built around it. His friends teased that this “magic wand” would bring them luck.
“We all joked that this had magic power to gamble,” he said.
On his way home, the Carroll County man decided to stop at a Jiffy Mart in Westminster to buy two scratch-offs. Reflecting on his friends’ comments, he took his “magic wand” into the store. The 24-year-old scratched the first $5 Monopoly scratch-off and was surprised to see that it carried the $50,000 top prize! He scratched the second instant ticket and saw that it, too, was a $10 winner.
“I didn’t believe it, so I gave it right to the teller to check,” he said.
He said the retailer at the Jiffy Mart, who he chats with occasionally when he buys instant tickets, looked at him in disbelief and confirmed the big win. After the shock wore off, the happy scratch fan asked the retailer for a sandwich bag because he feared his sweaty hands would damage the ticket.
The lucky man was still nervous about the ticket when he got home so he hid it behind a picture frame for two days until he could claim his prize at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. After hiding the ticket, he shared his good news with his family!
The superstitious player plans to spend his winnings on a trip to Ireland or Iceland, will invest some of the prize and save the rest.
The $5 Monopoly game still has one unclaimed $50,000 top prize and three unclaimed $5,000 prizes. For selling the top-prize winning ticket, the Jiffy Mart located at 1 Magna Way in Westminster will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery.