Home improvement specialist claims scratch-off game’s top prize
A spur-of-the-moment stop at a Maryland Lottery retailer proved quite rewarding for an Adelphi man, and he gives all of the credit for his $100,000 win to a lucky feeling. The 62-year-old remodeler wanted nothing more than to get home Sunday night but he detoured to buy a scratch-off praised as lucky by his Lottery-playing friends.
“I play three times a week, and it’s often with the same group of people,” said the Prince George’s County resident. “I usually stick to three or four specific tickets, but everyone kept talking about the $20,000,000 Cash Payout! I was thinking about it as I drove home and I just got this feeling that it had to be now.”
Scratching his game right there at Laurel Exxon, he soon found himself laughing, jumping and hugging anyone he could get his hands on. “I was as happy as I’d ever been. Everyone at the station celebrated with me.”
The lucky player told Lottery officials that he’s going to put his $100,000 prize in the bank and not touch it until his first day of retirement. The scratch-off fan also promised that whenever life brings him anywhere near 801 Washington Boulevard in Laurel, he plans to stop by his now favorite Exxon station. The Laurel Exxon will probably welcome his visit because his big win earned the store a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery. The bonus is for the sale of a $100,000 top-prize winning scratch-off.
The $20,000,000 Cash Payout game, one in a series of four similar tickets, debuted back in January. Four of its six $100,000 top prizes remain in circulation. Cash payouts can continue in a second-chance contest, too. Simply enter your non-winning Cash Payout scratch-offs into your My Lottery Rewards account for a chance to win $2,500 cash! The deadline for the final drawing is April 29.