Mr. and Mrs. Blessed have an extra reason to celebrate their first Christmas together after winning a $50,000 scratch-off prize. game. |
Baltimore couple wins big with Magic Number Bingo game
A married couple from Baltimore who dubbed themselves Mr. and Mrs. Blessed will be celebrating a very merry first Christmas together after the wife won a $50,000 top prize on a Magic Number Bingo scratch-off.
The government employee purchased the lucky $5 ticket from a Lottery vending machine just before starting her work day on Nov. 30 but it wasn’t the ticket she intended to buy.
“I play the bingo tickets all the time, but when I went to the machine I was going to try the Pay Me ticket because it was new,” she said. “But I just automatically hit the button for the bingo ticket because that’s what I always buy.”
She also bought one $5 Pay Me instant ticket and then headed off to start work. She won $5 on the Pay Me scratch-off while the Magic Number Bingo scratch-off delivered the largest prize she’s ever won. The sixth bingo card of the six on the ticket delivered the winning moment.
“I needed N40, and when I got it I just kept looking at it,” she said. “I wasn’t sure, but I said, ‘I won $50,000!’ ”
After taking the ticket to a retailer to confirm her big win, the lucky winner texted her husband, a hotel employee, to tell him about her momentous news.
“And I said, ‘Sure you did … stop playing!’ ” her husband said with a smile.
His shocking moment came later in the day. When the two finished work and went out for dinner, he scanned the ticket with the My Lottery Rewards app on his phone. After seeing the $50,000 prize confirmed on the screen, the couple began a loud celebration in the restaurant.
“I just looked around and said, ‘Don’t pay him no mind!’ ” the wife said with a laugh.
The couple said they don’t have any special plans yet for their prize, but they plan to enjoy the holiday season and possibly plan a vacation for 2017. The lucky winner’s largest previous Lottery prize was $2,500 on a Pick 4 drawing several years ago. Her husband won $1,000 on a scratch-off about 10 years ago.
“We’re feeling blessed,” the winner said.
The retailer is a winner as well. The vending machine she bought the winning ticket from is located in the Maryland Business Enterprise Program shop #56 at 6100 Wabash Avenue in Baltimore. The shop will receive a $500 bonus for selling a top-prize scratch-off in the game.
Magic Number Bingo launched in September. Five of its $50,000 top prizes are still unclaimed, along with 10 $10,000 prizes and thousands of additional prizes ranging from $5 to $5,000.