Gaithersburg man wins top prize on Diamonds & Gold Doubler game
After a long Friday at work, many workers find joy in clocking out of work and knowing a weekend of free time lies ahead. A lucky Gaithersburg man doubled his joy with his Friday win of the $50,000 top prize on the Maryland Lottery’s Diamonds & Gold Doubler scratch-off.
Nicknamed “El Chibolo,” the winner clocked out of work and gave in to a feeling that he should visit Brighton Beer & Wine in Gaithersburg to grab his “weekend essentials.” The store happens to be his favorite Lottery retailer, too. “It’s close to my home and I like the people who work there,” he said. “They’re very nice.”
The carpet installer took his weekend supplies to the store counter and then, from the corner of his eye, spotted Lottery scratch-offs. He simply said to himself, “Why not!” and added a $5 Diamonds & Gold Doubler instant ticket to his purchase.
The excitement of possibly winning a $50,000 top prize led “El Chibolo” to scratch off the instant ticket at the store. At first, it appeared he wasn’t victorious. However, the very last line of the game contained the star symbol, which indicated that he won automatically. His next question was, “What did I win?” The answer hiding beneath the star symbol: $50,000!
“I was very happy,” he said. “It was very exciting and I played it cool. I didn’t want people to know that I won.”
He quietly left the store and had to wait to claim his prize at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore until his work scheduled allowed. “El Chiboro” plans to continue playing Lottery games with the hope of landing another big win with Mega Millions or Powerball in the near future.
Also a winner is his lucky retailer, Brighton Beer & Wine. The Montgomery County store located at 225 Muddy Branch Road earns a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling a top-prize scratch-off in the game.
Players can still find plenty of fun in the Diamonds & Gold Doubler game. There are two unclaimed $50,000 top prizes remaining, as well as thousands of other prizes ranging from $5 to $5,000. The game first arrived in stores in March 2017.