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While on a work break at the State Fair, Gary Ellison stopped by the Maryland Lottery booth and won a $10,000 prize on the Black scratch-off!Scratches prize on $20 Black ticket
During the Maryland State Fair, maintenance worker Gary Ellison regularly spends his break time at the Maryland Lottery booth. He did just that this past Saturday and returned to work with a big smile and a $10,000 winning scratch-off in his pocket.
After purchasing the Black scratch-off, Gary realized that he needed to get back to work. Instead of scratching the ticket off, he decided to scan it on the ticket checker to see if it was a winner. As soon as he saw the message stating that the ticket had to be cashed at Lottery headquarters, the 23-year-old began to get excited.
“I started scratching it to see what the prize was and that’s when I saw I matched a number for $5,000,” said the Baltimore native. “Then, I finished scratching it and saw that I matched another number for $5,000, giving me a total of $10,000. I couldn’t believe it.”
Lottery officials who were nearby became just as excited as the lucky winner. They told the Timonium resident to sign the ticket and keep it somewhere safe.
“I called my uncle right away and asked him to come to the fair and get the ticket from me. I wanted to keep it in a safe place,” said the father of two. “Then, I told everyone at work!”
With his prize, Gary plans to pay bills and buy some nice Christmas gifts for his young sons. He also plans to spend $100 to play five more $20 scratch-offs.
“It would be so great to win another $10,000,” he said, smiling. “I’d love to come back here again tomorrow.”
Ridgely Wines & Spirits was the lucky Lottery retailer on site during the State Fair event and sold Gary his winning ticket. The store is located at 1752 York Road in Timonium. The Black scratch-off still has a $1 million top prize remaining, along with numerous other prizes including three $50,000 and three $10,000 prizes.