Rock Hall’s Clifford Nelson is a local celebrity after scratching off a $30,000 winning UNO instant ticket! |
Rock Hall man gains fame after top-prize win
Clifford Nelson from the Eastern Shore town of Rock Hall became an instant local celebrity after winning $30,000 playing the Lottery’s UNO scratch-off game.
The retired truck driver has a lot of time on his hands and spends some of it playing Keno in the mornings at Shore Stop in Rock Hall. Sometimes, he’ll play a scratch-off or two. On the day he bumped into Lady Luck, Clifford watched another player purchase two UNO scratch-offs and decided to buy one, too.
The big winner scratched the $3 instant ticket in the store, revealing a $30,000 top prize! “I just couldn’t believe it,” he said. The 62-year-old told Lottery officials that everyone in the Shore Stop who witnessed the win were all very happy for him. The lucky player now had one mission and that was finding out how to claim the big prize.
Clifford went to another Lottery retailer to ask what to do next and learned he should head to Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. The happy winner and his brother hit the road and claimed his big win. By then, word had spread through Rock Hall that Clifford Nelson won the Lottery!
“Everyone knows,” he said, smiling. “News travels fast down here in Rock Hall.”
The father of three grown children and granddad to one says his current car is old and not in the best condition. “It’s time to get something nice,” he said, and the prize will put a new vehicle in his driveway. As for the remainder of his winnings, Clifford plans to put the money in the bank.
Shore Stop #221 located at 21340 Rock Hall Avenue in Rock Hall is a winner, too. For selling a $30,000 top-prize scratch-off, the Lottery will give the retailer a $300 bonus.