Wins $20,000 playing $2 Ravens game
The Baltimore Ravens fan said his wife is the big Maryland Lottery player but he’s ruling the roost as the big winner of a $20,000 prize on a Ravens scratch-off.
The retired federal employee, who plays infrequently, scratched his way to the $2 game’s top prize. Lottery luck found him when he followed his wife into a Lottery retailer as they finished a shopping trip.
“I hit a dry spell with scratch tickets a while back and have slowed down my playing,” said the 66-year-old. “I did have a $5 winner from a month ago and when my wife stopped in at a store for her tickets, I decided to cash it instead of waiting in the car.”
While at GP Liquors in Baltimore waiting for his wife to make her purchase, the husband stood with his prize money in his hand. The lucky man decided to try one more scratch-off. When it came time to pick out his instant ticket, the diehard Ravens fan had no problem making his choice.
They scratched off their tickets later that evening. The husband uncovered match after match on his ticket and doubted his top-prize win. “Every single number matched, I couldn’t believe it,” he said. Passing the scratch-off to the lottery veteran in the family, he told his wife, “I know this can’t be right.”
The couple studied the Ravens scratch-off with growing excitement, looking for the small print that would explain away what they thought was a big winner. “We were hopeful, but just couldn’t believe it.” Confirmation of the win came a few hours later after a visit to another Lottery retailer. “When the guy gave us the official news, I got a bit lightheaded,” said the happy man.
The couple plans to put the winnings into savings. Also getting some extra moolah is GP Liquors. The Baltimore County store, located at 8660 Pulaski Highway, will receive a $200 bonus from the Lottery for selling the top-prize instant ticket in the game. Players have five more $20,000 top-prize tickets to find on the $2 game along with 10 $5,000 winners and thousands of other prizes ranging from $2 to $1,000.
The $2 and $5 Ravens scratch-offs both have a second-chance promotion for non-winning tickets. Players can enter drawings to try to win $10,000 cash, 2017 season tickets, travel with the team to watch the New England Patriots game on Dec. 12 or season tickets for 20 years. Visit ravens.mdlottery.com for details.