Finds $20,000 prize on Neon X20 scratch-off
After a difficult night spent working at a facility dedicated to the care of the handicapped, a Hagerstown woman decided to make one stop on her way home to dreamland. Shirley Gipe had a hankering for a Maryland Lottery scratch-off and, luckily for her, the businesses along her route home included Lottery retailer Roxy Liquors.
“Something told me to stop and something told me to pick Neon x20,” she told Lottery officials after visiting headquarters in Baltimore to claim her $20,000 prize. The 57-year-old waited only a few hours after her encounter with good fortune to make the trip east.
“I was shocked when I saw the 20x $1,000. I told myself, ‘This can’t be.’ ” Moments later, after having the win and her prize confirmed by the store clerk, Shirley found herself in her car, crying. “I’ve just never had anything like this happen to me.”
The Washington County woman called home with her great news and immediately drove to pick up her co-worker Susie Richardson, who is also her friend and Lottery pal. The two excited women decided they would rather claim the prize than go to sleep!
“I think my husband didn’t quite believe me, but Susie dropped everything that she had going on to make the trip with me,” Shirley said. “We’ve been playing the Lottery together for years.”
Shirley and her husband will probably upgrade the family vehicle with the winnings from the $10 scratch-off and make the holidays nicer for Shirley’s daughter and six grandchildren. “Holiday shopping this year will be lots of fun,” she said.
Roxy Liquors at 761 East Wilson Boulevard in Hagerstown provided Shirley’s $20,000 winning ticket. The Neon x20 game is still packed with big winning tickets: three $100,000 top prizes, four more $20,000 prizes and nine $10,000 winners.