“Mr. Money Bags” of Temple Hills found a $50,000 top-prize win playing a Hot 5s Hot Streak scratch-off. |
Chicago vacation in the works with $50,000 Hot 5s Hot Streak game prize
A scratch-off playing husband-and-wife team from Temple Hills is happily booking a Chicago vacation to enjoy the benefits of the husband’s $50,000 instant ticket prize.
The winner, nicknamed “Mr. Money Bags,” just scored his biggest Maryland Lottery win ever, taking home a top prize on the Hot 5s Hot Streak scratch-off. He was at Lottery retailer S & W Liquors in Temple Hills and reinvested a $35 prize from one game into the purchase of a Pick 4 ticket, two Mega Millions tickets and two Hot 5s Hot Streak scratch-offs.
The graphic designer considers S & W Liquors to be his lucky store because he’s won small prizes of $5 to $10 on different games he bought there in the past. “Mrs. Money Bags” has her own roster of “lucky” Lottery retailers. “I don’t win at that store,” she said.
On the day he found his $50,000 fortune, “Mr. Money Bags” made his purchase and headed home. “I talked to my wife on the phone,” said the 61-year-old. “She was coming home from a doctor’s appointment so I decided to go ahead and play the scratch-offs.”
What he saw on the first of the two $5 Hot 5s Hot Streak instant tickets sent his hopes soaring that the game contained a really big win. “I always hope it’s a big winner,” he said. “I scratched it off and I said, ‘Wait a minute, that’s $5,000.’ I kept scratching and saw $10,000. Then, $50,000! I couldn’t believe it. I was blown away.”
The second scratch-off was a non-winner, so the grandfather of three left the lucky instant ticket on the table for his wife to check. “I always go behind him and check the tickets,” she said, noting that she sometimes finds a win he missed. She confirmed his big win and the two took a day off from their jobs to claim the prize at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore!
The happy parents of three adult children have big plans for their windfall. They will pay off bills, go on vacation to Chicago and put the rest of the winnings into the bank for the future.
The lucky Temple Hills retailer at 7072 Allentown Road shares in their Lottery luck. For selling a top-prize winning scratch-off in the game, the Prince George’s County store earns a $500 bonus from the Lottery. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize.