His timely stop for gas led to a $100,000 top-prize win on The Big $10 Ticket. |
Poolesville man wins top prize on The Big $10 Ticket
Winning a $100,000 top prize on a Maryland Lottery scratch-off sent Richard McKinley of Poolesville out the door of Jessup Shell and back on the road – without remembering to pump the gas he bought along with his lucky instant ticket.
The transportation industry worker was headed to his job when he made his timely stop. Richard bought The Big $10 Ticket and scratched it off in the store. After seeing he matched one number on the $10 scratch-off, Richard scanned it using the store’s ticket checker before revealing the amount of the prize.
“The message that came up said it was too large to claim and I had to bring it to Lottery headquarters,” Richard said. “I then scratched the prize and saw it was $100,000. At that point, I left the store and forgot to pump my gas!”
The 58-year-old Montgomery County resident tried to call his wife but she didn’t answer the phone. “I finally got in touch with her and she still didn’t believe me,” he told Lottery officials. “I then took a picture of the ticket and sent it to her.”
The big winner has no immediate plans for his windfall other than paying bills. The lucky retailer that sold the winning scratch-off, Jessup Shell at 8755 Washington Blvd. in Jessup, will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling a top-prize instant ticket.
Lots of prizes remain on The Big $10 Ticket, which launched last November. Players can look for the one remaining $100,000 top prize, nine $10,000 prizes along with thousands of others ranging from $10 to $1,000.