Bel Air man claims $50,000 prize playing 50x the Cash game
As he made the drive from Harford County to downtown Baltimore each day, a Bel Air resident would worry about his new business’ finances and the impact on his family. The 38-year-old’s worries are over for a time, thanks to the financial breathing room that his $50,000 Maryland Lottery scratch-off win will provide.
Lottery luck found the husband and father at Mall Spirits in Reisterstown Road Plaza last week. He found himself at the back of a long line, waiting to take care of one of the many legal requirements for opening a business. The scratch-off player took a number and, seeing that he had some waiting time ahead, wandered around the shopping center and into Mall Spirits at 6630 Reisterstown Road.
“I buy Lottery tickets maybe once a month,” he said. “When I do, I always get five or six. I enjoyed the 50x the Cash ticket the last time I played, so I bought several.”
He scratched one of his instant tickets immediately and the others late Friday night. Why the delay? “When I saw the match and the prize number beneath it on the first ticket, I almost shouted out loud,” the winner said. “It was very crowded there, though, so I had to keep my excitement to myself. I didn’t want anyone to know.”
He did whisper his great news to the clerk who handled the transaction and then left the store. The store employee was thrilled for him. His family, while also thrilled, at first thought he was joking. “My wife and kids refused to believe me,” he said. “When I showed them the ticket, they started dancing.”
The winner plans to use much of his 50x the Cash prize to defray costs of his new business. “This $50,000 will make a huge difference for my family, for our peace of mind,” the happy man said.
There are plenty of prizes remaining in the game to make other winners happy, too. His lucky game debuted Jan. 22 and so far has revealed two of its eight $100,000 top prize winners and two of its ten $50,000 second-tier prizes. The $10 scratch-off has thousands of other prizes, too, ranging from $10 to $10,000.