Retired graphic artist wins on $1,000,000 Platinum Play game
A retired graphic artist, who still does some part-time work in his field, was taking a break from design Friday evening when a funny feeling hit him. The Rockville man was in a local 7-Eleven to buy miscellaneous items when the odd sensation grew stronger.
“I turned around and used the one $20 bill that I had and bought a $1,000,000 Platinum Play scratch-off,” he said.
As he scratched off the game, the Montgomery County man knew Lottery luck had come his way. Like many players, he reveals the winning numbers first on his scratch-offs and only then uncovers the prize amounts below any matching numbers. The loyal scratch-off player matched three numbers and revealed three “stars,” which translates to an instant win.
“I thought I hit for maybe a $1,000, but the first “star” was $10,000,” said the happy player, smiling. “I thought, ‘This is going to be interesting.’ ”
After revealing all of the prizes on the $20 instant ticket, the 68-year-old great-grandfather was shocked to see his prize was $50,000! “I just kept looking at it,” he said.
The big winner couldn’t claim the prize until after the weekend, so he had time to digest the idea of the big win. He put the ticket in a safe and claimed the prize first thing Monday morning. The winner plans to save most of the prize but will also spend a little on his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The $1,000,000 Platinum Play game still has thousands of unclaimed winning scratch-offs in Maryland stores. Prizes waiting for discovery include two $1 million top prizes and other prizes ranging from $20 to $10,000. Want to visit a lucky Lottery retailer to see if you can find another winning $1,000,000 Platinum Play scratch-off? Stop by our winner’s lucky store: 7-Eleven #33558 located at 259 Derwood Circle in Rockville.