North Potomac Man Cruising to Caribbean with $8,888 Maryland Lottery Prize

North Potomac resident Paul Cohen is paying for a previously planned cruise with the $8,888 he won in the Maryland Lottery’s Back to the Future™ second-chance promotion.

Paul Cohen felt like he just went 8,888 miles per hour after he won $8,888 in the Maryland Lottery’s Back to the Future™ second-chance promotion.

The North Potomac resident said when he claimed the prize he initially didn’t realize his prize amount was referring to the time travel rules of the movie. The number 88 relates to the speed at which the Time Machine travels.

“I didn’t understand the $8,888 and then I figured it out.” Paul, who was selected as the big winner during the final drawing on July 16, said with a laugh.

There were five second chance drawings throughout the promotion, and all prizes correlated with important dates and numbers within the movie:

  • $8,888 (one winner): The number 88 relates to the speed at which the Time Machine travels.
  • $2,025 (five winners): This number commemorates the year, 2025, which is the 40th anniversary of the movie.
  • $2,015 – This number references the year in the future that Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel to in the film.
  • $1,955 – This number references the year to which Marty McFly travels back in time in the film.

The retired driver said he has watched the movie 100 times. He added that the prize came at the perfect time as he is scheduled to take a cruise this summer. Paul is headed south to the Bahamas and Caribbean.

“This pays for the whole cruise,” Paul said of the prize.

Paul wraps up the promotion but there are many prizes left on the Back to the Future™ scratch-off. The $2 ticket went on sale March 24. There are still three $10,000 instant top prizes on the ticket, along with numerous prizes ranging from $2 to $5,000.

The Maryland Lottery’s free rewards program, My Lottery Rewards, offers a variety of ways to win using previously played tickets.

 

© Universal City Studios LLC and Amblin Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

About BACK TO THE FUTURE™

From the Academy Award-winning filmmakers Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg comes Back to the FutureTM – the original, groundbreaking adventure that sparked one of the most successful trilogies ever! When teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is blasted to 1955 in the Time Machine created by the eccentric Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), he finds himself mixed up in a time-shattering chain reaction that could vaporize his future – and leave him trapped in the past. Released 40 years ago and powered by innovative special effects, unforgettable songs and nonstop action, Back to the FutureTM is an unrivaled adventure that stands the test of time.

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