Wins $50,000 top prize on Green Doubler game
A North Carolina man visiting Maryland for a sad occasion – his brother’s funeral – was fueling up for his trip home when Lottery luck gave him 50,000 happy reasons to return to Baltimore. The scratch-off fan bought a Green Doubler instant ticket on his way out of state and won the game’s $50,000 top prize!
“In North Carolina, we play a lot of scratch-offs,” said the U.S. Army veteran, who experienced “several trips around the world” during his 21-year military service career. His last stop was Fort Bragg in North Carolina and he settled in Fayetteville.
The Washington, D.C. native made the trip north to attend the funeral with family members. When it was over, he dropped off his sister and stopped at 24 Express in Oxon Hill to fuel up for his trip back to North Carolina.
“I saw the $5 scratch-off and I thought, ‘Why not try it?’ ” he said. Not until he pulled off to rest during the trip home did the father of two realize he had bought a scratch-off that carried the biggest prize he’s ever won.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said the 60-year-old. The happy winner returned to Maryland on a rainy Monday accompanied by his sister to claim the big prize. The community college admissions counselor plans to share some of his winnings with his daughter to help offset the cost of her master’s degree program and will put the rest into savings.
Also a winner is the lucky Prince George’s County retailer. The store located at 4451 Wheeler Road in Oxon Hill will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling a top-prize scratch-off in the Green Doubler game.