 Painter Chris Wingert of Pasadena is enjoying his brush with good fortune, thanks to a $100,000 win on the Emerald Riches scratch-off. |
Pasadena man claims top prize on Emerald Riches scratch-off
Painter Chris Wingert of Pasadena has enjoyed several brushes with good fortune while playing Maryland Lottery scratch-offs. His largest win was $1,000 until a recent morning when he ran an errand for his wife at his local Lottery retailer.
Neither the father of two nor his wife drink coffee but a recent Saturday morning found her craving a caffeinated soda. Chris headed to the EZ Quick Food Mart in Pasadena, where he often picks up convenience food items, sodas and scratch-offs. A regular customer, he enjoys visiting with the other Lottery players and the store staff.
Something inspired him to buy a $10 Winter Cash Tripler instant ticket. He scratched it in the store and, by a stroke of luck, won $10! Chris bought a second $10 ticket and it paid $20. Feeling lucky, the Anne Arundel County resident next bought two Emerald Riches tickets. Sadly, his winning streak stopped.
“I was walking out the door with the soda in my hand and I said, ‘Let me buy one more and then I have to go home.’ ” That third Emerald Riches ticket paid $100,000! After the store staff verified his win and began celebrating, he called his wife. She didn’t believe the family’s good luck until he arrived home with the soda and the scratch-off. All weekend, he kept checking the ticket to make sure his lucky $10 ticket was safe and really a winner.
“I checked it 25 times to be sure it really happened to us,” he said. The $100,000 prize answers his prayers tenfold; a few weeks ago, he prayed while at church for $10,000 to help his family with bills. The 45-year-old works five days a week full time for an Anne Arundel County painting contractor. On the weekends, he runs his own painting company “Always a Blast Inc.”
His top two priorities for the prize involve paying off debt and buying a new vehicle for his wife. “The kids will get a great Christmas this year and a trip to Disney,” he said. His sons, ages 8 and 11, and his wife have never been to Disney World in Florida so the vacation is a go for 2015.
His lucky Lottery retailer, EZ Quick Food Mart at 231 Mountain Road, will receive a $1,000 bonus for selling the top-prize ticket on the scratch-off.