Wins Seven-Day Cruise Vacation Playing Cruise for Cash Scratch-Off
Shirley Pendarvis loves to play Lottery scratch-offs and jackpot games. This past Tuesday, she demonstrated her affection for Maryland Lottery play and bought four scratch-offs, a Blackjack ticket, a Gimme 5 and two Cruise for Cash. She scratched the tickets while still in the store. First, she played her Blackjack scratch-off and revealed a $10 win. Then she scratched the Gimme 5 to no avail. When she scratched her Cruise for Cash she was amazed. “I know I didn’t win a cruise,” was Shirley’s first reaction. “Then I saw I won a cruise. I’m so lucky,” she exclaimed. When Shirley announced her good fortune, everyone in the store ran over to see her ticket. “I held on to it real tight as everyone was gathering around,” the 60-year-old said.
Shirley, a retired federal worker, will be accompanied on her cruise vacation-for-two by her sister-in-law, who also happens to be named Shirley Pendarvis. They intend to set sail this April. “When I asked her to go with me, she started screaming and hollering,” said the delighted winner. “I knew at that very moment the two Shirley’s would set sail on the cruise together.” The winning ticket was purchased at the Best 1 Food Market at 4225 Southern Ave. in Capital Heights, Maryland.
Partnering with Royal Caribbean International, the Maryland Lottery launched Cruise for Cash on January 10, 2011. The $5 scratch-off is the first of its kind for the Maryland Lottery and features seven $50,000 instant top prizes, as well as 31 instant seven-night cruise vacations for two, departing from Florida with a premium ocean view balcony stateroom; first class round-trip airfare- for-two to Florida; deluxe premium hotel accommodations for two for the night prior to cruise departure, $1,000 onboard credit and $500 spending money.
Cruise for Cash also features a second-chance contest with six more chances to win a nine-night cruise vacation for two, departing from the Port of Baltimore. Second-chance cruise prizes include a premium ocean view balcony stateroom on any one of Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships departing from the Port of Baltimore and a $1,000 onboard credit. Players enter the second-chance contest by mailing in a non-winning Cruise for Cash scratch-off to the address on the back of the ticket or by going online at mdlottery.com/cruise. Players who enter online MUST keep their original Cruise for Cash ticket to present for validation.