Claims $50,000 prize on The Wizard of Oz scratch-off
A superstitious Abington man who wanted to play a Maryland Lottery scratch-off that carried the number 17 faced a dilemma when he looked at The Wizard of Oz game on sale at his local Wawa.
The next ticket displayed in the self-service Lottery vending machine was No. 14. The Harford County resident went ahead and bought tickets No. 14, 15, 16 and 17 in the $5 game and wound up winning the $50,000 top prize with lucky ticket No. 17.
“I didn’t believe it,” said the 62-year-old. “My wife thought I was joking.” He plays Lottery games several times a week, sticking to scratch-offs and Keno, and has enjoyed numerous wins.
A contractor by day and police officer by night, the player is on the brink of retirement from the police force after nearly three decades of service. The happy winner and his wife of 40 years plan to use the $50,000 prize on home improvements and a trip to Colorado to visit their daughter.
Also celebrating the win is the lucky Wawa #581 located at 3500 Woodsdale Road in Abington. The retailer will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling a top-prize ticket in the game. Players can still look for the last top prize in the game, as well more than 150,000 prizes of $5 to $5,000.