Silver Spring Man’s $50,000 Lottery Win Makes Him Re-Think Play Routine

Casual ticket buyer considering a more consistent approach

A Montgomery County resident who has been a casual Maryland Lottery player for years is re-evaluating his routine after a $50,000 scratch-off win.

“I have a feeling I’m going to keep playing now,” he said on Dec. 30 at Lottery headquarters after claiming his second-tier prize in the Money Rush scratch-off game.

Lottery luck came to the winner when he stopped by Latino Market & Jewelry at 2505 Ennalls Avenue in Silver Spring shortly before Christmas. He was picking up some fresh vegetables for the holiday meal and decided to buy two instant tickets.

The first one was not a winner, but when he scratched the $5 Money Rush game, the Silver Spring man noticed he matched number 16 in the play area with 16 in the winning numbers line. The base prize revealed was $1,000. The play area, however, was not fully scratched. When he got to his truck on the parking lot, the loyal player scratched the play area off completely and realized it said $1,000 with a 50X multiplier. Shocked, he brought the instant ticket back into the store and asked the clerk to verify the prize. The clerk confirmed it was a $50,000 winner.

The player says he has no immediate plans for the money, so he will put it in the bank. “I don’t want to spend it on the run,” he said.

His main interest in playing the Lottery, even casually, has always been for enjoyment, said the winner. “It’s fun because you never know what you’re going to get.” The player added that he’ll be shooting for a bigger prize next time. “I hope next time it’s going to be a million dollars.”

The Money Rush instant ticket has a top prize of $100,000 and has been on the market since July. It has more than a dozen combined prizes of $10,000, $50,000 and $100,000 still awaiting discovery.