100X The Cash game delivers big win
A retired nurse added 50,000 reasons to be thankful to his Thanksgiving Day reflections this year. A run to the grocery and liquor store on Thanksgiving yielded a $50,000 scratch-off prize.
“The Rock,” which is the winner’s nickname, said he crossed paths with Lottery luck after going to the store for his son to pick up last-minute items for dinner. On the way out of the grocery, the Baltimore man bought a $5 scratch-off and won $20.
The 61-year-old pocketed the cash and made one more stop at Budget Liquor located at 7000 Eastern Avenue in Baltimore. While there, “The Rock” decided to use that $20 prize to purchase another scratch-off. He selected the 100X The Cash game. To his surprise, he saw a $50,000 prize appear as he scratched off the instant ticket.
“When I saw all of those zeroes, I thought I was being punked,” he said. “The cashier confirmed it was a winner, but said they couldn’t cash it.” Prizes at the $50,000 level must be claimed at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore, which was closed on Thanksgiving Day.
“The Rock” took his winning scratch-off home, shared the news with his family and enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner. He hid the instant ticket in the house, moving it from hiding place to hiding place. “I just kept looking at it to make sure it was real,” he said.
After a couple of weeks, the lucky player visited the Lottery’s website to make an appointment to claim his $50,000 prize. He told Lottery officials he plans to use the windfall for the holidays, home improvements and to pay his credit card debt.
The 100X The Cash game, which carries a top prize of $1 million, went on sale in November. There are still six $1 million top prizes remaining, seven $50,000 prizes remaining and hundreds of thousands of other unclaimed prizes ranging from $20 to $10,000.