When it comes to holiday gift exchanges, rituals vary. Silly gifts, re-gifts and last-minute gifts can sometimes make the experience hit or miss. This year was definitely a hit for a Baltimore maintenance worker, who won $50,000 after his boss opted to give everyone a $20 Max A Million scratch-off!
The 49-year-old said he often plays Maryland Lottery scratch-offs, but rarely purchases $20 instant tickets. After receiving their gifts, the winner and his co-workers quickly scratched off the games to see if they won. Lottery luck was in the air! One worker won $20 and another won $50. None of the winning numbers matched numbers on his instant ticket, he said, so our $50,000 winner figured luck had passed him by.
He didn’t return to the instant ticket until he visited a local Lottery retailer to scan his recent Lottery scratch-off purchases for winners. When he scanned the gift and the ticket scanner told him it was a winner, the confused player examined the game closer. He realized that his “Max A Million” number did match, meaning he won all 30 prizes on the scratch-off.
“I wondered, ‘Is this really right?’ ” he recalled.
The lucky player set the instant ticket down and began to tally the prizes using a calculator. He didn’t stop until he reached the $50,000 total!
The winner has big plans for his prize, saying he will pay off some bills and save the majority of the windfall. He also plans to share the news and the winnings with his co-workers. He told Lottery officials that he will treat his co-workers to a few more scratch-offs and refund the amount his boss paid, giving everyone a sweet treat!
The boss purchased the winning Max A Million scratch-off at Liquor Pump, which is located at 8535 Old Harford Road in Parkville. The office workers left lots of unclaimed prizes in this popular game, including six $1 million prizes and 10 more $50,000 prizes. Try your luck!