Burtonsville father of three finds top prize in $3 game
A Burtonsville man playing the Maryland Lottery’s Treasure Island scratch-off game saw pirates capture his first two ships as they drew close to a win. Then, as he scratched off the path for his third ship, confusion set in. Not until he claimed his prize at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore did the civil engineer know for certain that ship No. 3 made it to port and delivered a $30,000 top prize.
“I’ve not won a lot, just every now and then,” said the father of three. “This win is out of left field.”
The Montgomery County father of three found the second of eight top prizes in the $3 game, which went on sale Dec. 27. Players scratch one grid at a time on a treasure map to follow a path of arrows leading to prizes or capture by pirates.
The wily captain’s third ship steered a crooked course that either ended at the game’s $30,000 top prize or at a $1,000 prize. Which was correct? From Friday until Tuesday, when he arrived at headquarters, the lucky player simply wasn’t sure. His oldest son told him to give the winning ticket to his wife to hide in the house over the weekend and jokingly added, “Don’t burn the house down,” said the happy dad.
The 64-year-old and his wife are occasional scratch-off players. He bought one Treasure Island instant ticket on Feb. 3 while he was at Greenbelt Liquors and that was all it took. He plans to put the windfall into the couple’s retirement fund.
Also celebrating in the win is his lucky retailer. The Prince George’s County store, located at 6000 Greenbelt Road in Greenbelt, will receive a $300 bonus from the Lottery for selling a top-prize ticket in the game. There are plenty of unclaimed prizes remaining, including the six $30,000 top prizes and thousands of others ranging from $3 to $1,000.