Lucky couple wins $50,000 playing Gold scratch-off
A Silver Spring man found Maryland Lottery gold in the form of a $50,000 top-prize winning Gold scratch-off after he visited his favorite Lottery retailer on his way home from work.
The lucky $5 instant ticket hailed from Value Dollar in Hyattsville. The scratch-off fan decided to play the game before continuing to commute home.
“As I was scratching the ticket in my car in the parking lot, I soon got the shock of my life,” said the excited winner. “A few rows down on the ticket, I noticed a big $50,000 top prize staring right back at me.”
After the initial shock of the win faded, the lucky player called his new bride of five months to share the good news.
“When I first got his call, I thought he was joking and I didn’t believe a word of what he was telling me,” she told Lottery officials after the couple claimed the prize at the Baltimore headquarters. “That’s when I made him take a picture of the ticket on his phone and send it to me. After I realized that he wasn’t joking, I think we were both a little stunned.”
The excited couple, who each turn 50 years old this fall, may use the prize to celebrate their milestone birthdays in style. They are considering an exotic cruise to somewhere tropical.
“This win couldn’t have come at a better time,” the husband said. “Not only will we use some of the prize money to ring in our birthdays together, but we can finally get to take a romantic honeymoon that we didn’t get to take. We couldn’t have gotten a better wedding gift than this. Thanks, Maryland Lottery!”
Also thankful about the win is the lucky retailer. Value Dollar located at 8030 New Hampshire Avenue in Prince George’s County earns a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling a $50,000 winning top-prize scratch-off. Players can try their luck finding the four remaining unclaimed $50,000 top prizes or thousands of others ranging from $5 to $5,000.