First winner of The Big Spin Wheel prize has big travel plans
A Baltimore mother wept tears of joy Monday after The Big Spin Wheel at Maryland Lottery headquarters landed on $100,000, giving the loyal player the largest prize of her life.
The winner and her fiancé later said that they both closed their eyes after she gave the 74.5-inch tall illuminated wheel a gentle spin. “When I heard the last click, that’s when I opened my eyes,” she said.
The healthcare professional enjoys a variety of Lottery games. She started playing THE BIG SPIN scratch-off when it went on sale in April. “I always play the new ones,” she said.
THE BIG SPIN is a $5 game with three $50,000 top prizes players can win instantly along with two exciting new elements. Players who reveal a “SPIN” symbol can scan their scratch-off at a Lottery retailer or by using the Lottery’s app. Most “SPIN” prizes lead to a cash prize of $10 to $250, but eight winning tickets will send the player to try their luck with The Big Spin Wheel at Lottery headquarters. That spin will award between $50,000 and $250,000.
“I’m still shocked,” said the happy winner. “I’ve been playing for so long and I was tired of reading people’s stories about buying a loaf of bread and one scratch-off and winning a top prize. I was waiting for my turn.”
Her journey to the Winner’s Circle began last week when the Baltimore native visited Kiani’s Mart in Woodlawn. The winner bought a few of THE BIG SPIN scratch-offs and played them in the store. When she checked one of those tickets, the message read “Congratulations.” Wondering why a prize wasn’t listed, the player gave the scratch-off to the store clerk to check and was soon talking with Lottery employees, making an appointment for her big spin.
In the days and the weekend leading up to her appointment, the Lottery fan kept her instant ticket hidden in her sock drawer. The anxious player checked it periodically to be certain the scratch-off remained safe. “I couldn’t sleep over the weekend.”
She has big plans for her prize, including flying on an airplane for the first time to Las Vegas for a birthday celebration. The winner also wants to take her children on a cruise and to a local waterpark to enjoy their first family vacations. “This came at the perfect time,” she said, smiling.
For its role in THE BIG SPIN excitement, Kiani’s Mart at 1110 Ingleside Avenue in Woodlawn will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery.
There are still seven scratch-offs remaining that will send players to Lottery headquarters to try their luck with The Big Spin Wheel. Also awaiting discovery are all three $50,000 instant-win scratch-offs.
The Big Spin Wheel landed on $100,000 for the first winner, who hails from Baltimore.
