A Prince George’s County retiree who takes on home remodeling projects to supplement his income could, if he wished, sit back and relax after winning $77,777 on the Maryland 7s game. Instead, the grateful grandfather plans to spend his windfall working on his own house for a change.
“I’ll be remodeling my home and putting the rest of the money in the bank,” said the happy 65-year-old, who claimed the prize at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore with his accountant by his side.
The scratch-off fan attributes his big win to his part-time jobs. The projects take him to different areas and he visits a variety of Lottery retailers.
“When I’m in a place I’ve never been before, I always pick up instant tickets,” he said.
After finishing his third day on a recent project, the weary worker decided to find a Lottery retailer where he could buy beer and some $5 scratch-offs to enjoy at home. Entering Telegraph Liquors in Severn, the remodeler sized up his scratch-off choices. The new Maryland 7s game, with its seven designs, caught his eye so he bought a batch and won nearly $150! The next time he stopped at Telegraph Liquors on his way home, the lucky player bought a few more Maryland 7s scratch-offs.
That evening, he sat at his kitchen table and worked his way through the games, using his beer bottle opener to scratch off the instant tickets one by one. Beneath the “7” symbol on one game, clear as day, was the $77,777 top prize.
“I said, ‘This isn’t happening’ and sat back,” he said. “I looked at it two or three times.” The first — and last — person he called was his accountant! He plans to keep his big win a secret.
Telegraph Liquors at 7741 Telegraph Road in Severn is definitely a lucky Lottery retailer store! The Anne Arundel County retailer is the home of numerous big Lottery wins over the years, including a $1 million Powerball sale, a $50,000 Powerball sale, a $50,000 Bonus Match 5 sale and $10,000 50X the Cash sale. The latest lucky sale earns the retailer a $777 bonus from the Lottery; the bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize.