By Derek Arnold, RussellStreetReport.com
Derek is a columnist for RussellStreetReport.com (formerly Ravens24x7.com), a leading Baltimore Ravens fan site that features Ravens news and insight from the fans perspective. For more on the Ravens and to read Derek’s columns, visit RussellStreetReport.com.
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As the fourth ever winner of “Season Tickets for Life” from the Maryland Lottery’s Ravens Cash Fantasy, Beth Bunch of Dundalk will be attending Ravens games at M&T Bank Stadium for the next 20 years.
Much like Ravens fans who didn’t really believe their team had won the Super Bowl until they bought their new “Champions” gear, Bunch says her win still hasn’t really set in, and won’t until she has the physical evidence in hand.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Bunch said. “It still doesn’t feel real that I actually won season tickets for life. I don’t think it will feel real until I actually get the tickets in the mail.”
While Bunch doesn’t remember exactly when she entered her second-chance yards on the Lottery’s website, she does remember one remarkable detail – that she only entered three times in total for this prize. She was chosen from more than 136,000 entries for the prize.
While the fact that Bunch only entered three times may annoy some Ravens Cash Fantasy players who entered hundreds of times, it only reinforces the old adage that, “it only takes one to win.”
Bunch was at work by herself when she got the call that she had won, but she wasn’t jumping for joy just yet.
“I thought it was a random number so I didn’t answer it,” she recalled. “They left a voicemail and said where they were from. My mind was racing…I had no idea what I would have won since I had entered a few different drawings for various prizes.”
When Bunch finally heard what she had won, she – and everyone else – had a hard time believing her good fortune.
“It’s a big thing to win,” she said. “I called my Mom immediately and she called the rest of the family. I told a lot of my friends in person, and on Facebook, and they didn’t believe me at first.”
While Bunch usually goes to “a couple” Ravens games each year, she’s never had season tickets before, and she’s certainly never sat where she’ll be sitting for the next 20 years – in the club level.
“No, never,” Bunch explained when asked if she had ever sat in the club level. “I’m very excited to sit in the club level and see what it’s about!”
Bunch will be bringing her father – who she teamed up with in playing Ravens Cash Fantasy scratch-offs this year – along to most of the games, while also saving some tickets for other family members and friends.
Twenty years of football games is a lot of pigskin, but does Bunch think it’s possible to ever get sick of going to M&T Bank Stadium?
“Probably not,” she said. “It’s something I always get pretty excited about. I always like going to the games, so I’m pretty excited that I won this. “
Bunch, 26, is still trying to wrap her head around the whole thing.
“It still doesn’t feel real. It’s just a lot to think about. By the time [the prize ends in] 20 years, I’ll probably have kids and stuff. It’s crazy to think about.”