Retired Steel Worker Welds Bingo Card Win into $10,000 Prize

Bingo Multiplier game delivers $10,000 surprise

218-Bingo-Multiplier-ITVM_P1-greenA pair of retired Sparrows Point steel mill workers are ready to buy a set of super seats at a Baltimore Orioles home game after one of them won $10,000 on a Maryland Lottery Bingo Multiplier scratch-off.

The winner was introduced to the fun of playing scratch-offs by his late mother and his friend. The two men, who worked together for more than 20 years at the steel mill, would often stop at a local tavern after their shift to grab a beer, the winner said.

“He would play the little scratch-offs,” he recalled. “This was about 10 years ago. They were real small (in size).”

He and his mom would play Keno together, too, but the 54-year-old didn’t catch her love of scratch-offs until recently. The Baltimore man says he keeps winning with the $5 Bingo Multiplier game, which went on sale in September.

“I started hitting on these and I like them,” he said. “I won $1,000 in October and $500 twice.”

The father of four, who has two favorite Lottery retailers, found his winning ticket over the weekend at Middlesex Liquors located at 1334 Eastern Boulevard in Essex. He thought he’d won far less than $10,000 on his lucky game until he returned to cash his ticket. The retailer said the prize was too large to cash at the store! Instead, the loyal player was told he must go to Lottery headquarters to claim his big prize and Lottery offices wouldn’t reopen until Monday morning.

“I’ve been chomping at the bit since Saturday to get here,” he said.

The happy winner plans to buy new tires for his truck with his windfall and do lots of fun things with his friend, like attending an O’s game. His pal accompanied him to Lottery headquarters wearing his favorite O’s cap and a big grin. The winner will keep playing his favorite scratch-off, too, as well as trying to improve his luck playing the Lottery’s Pick 3 and Pick 4 games.

There are plenty of winning tickets remaining on his lucky game including three $50,000 top prizes, six more $10,000 prizes, and thousands of other prizes ranging from $5 to $5,000.