Wins $30,000 top prize playing Bonus Crossword game
Good food and a little bit of peace and quiet are what a Parkville man told lottery officials he seeks during his daily lunch break. The Baltimore County employee got none of those things when he stepped away from his office one day last week. But he did get $30,000 richer.
The 60-year-old office manager started his midday “me time” by playing a $3 Bonus Crossword scratch-off ticket he had purchased when he stopped for coffee on his way to work.
“I chose Bonus Crossword that morning because it’s an extended-play game. I like to take my time with a scratch-off, it draws out the anticipation,” he explained.
When he uncovered eight words on his ticket, good for $1,000, he was sure that he was reading the ticket incorrectly.
“I didn’t believe it, I kept studying the thing,” he said.
Not only did his review confirm those eight words, but he discovered two more.
“I was sure something was wrong. There was no way I’d just won $30,000,” the lucky winner said.
He walked back to his office to ask a co-worker to check the ticket. And then he drove to his lucky lottery retailer, 8 Days A Week Convenience Mart at 1700 Taylor Avenue in Parkville, where he confirmed his good fortune.
“I realized late in the day that I was hungry, I’d missed lunch,” he said, adding that he finally sat down to a quiet meal after a day of excitement and had a chance to relax and marvel at his luck.
“This money is going to make some aspects of my life much easier. This really is a relief,” he said.
There are still four more $30,000 top prizes in the Bonus Crossword scratch-off game that have not yet been claimed, as well as 10 remaining $5,000 winners. For selling the winning ticket, 8 Days A Week Convenience Mart will receive a $300 bonus from the Maryland Lottery.