A portion of a $1 million Win Big prize is going for college tuition, so the winner from Rockville dubbed his lucky score “For the Kids.” |
Prize will cover tuition bills “For the Kids”
Win Big is what the scratch-off is called and that is exactly what a lucky player from Rockville did last week. His score: $1 million! Or, maybe we should say his kids’ score, because the happy player dubbed the prize “For the Kids.”
The Rockville man usually plays scratch-offs on holidays and birthdays but this big win took place on a Sunday while he ran an errand. His daughter was home from college the day he found Lottery luck waiting at 7-Eleven #11575 in Olney. Because his high-school-age son was ill, the player visited the convenience store to get supplies and a Big Gulp, as he often does. He and his family visit the store regularly because they like its friendly service.
While there, “For the Kids” looked at the Maryland Lottery scratch-off offerings. Although he usually does not play $20 games, the 52-year-old noticed several $20 games in a row in the Lottery vending machine.
“I figured I’ll just take the one in the number 21 spot,” he said. The Win Big game has six rows with five scratch-off spots in each row. Back in his car, “For the Kids” scratched off every other spot and said he revealed nothing worth talking about. Then, he scratched off the remaining spots and revealed the $1 million prize. “I had to put my glasses on,” he said, and then the startled winner called his wife with the good news.
“I thought he was lying!” she recalled. When he convinced her the $1 million win was real, the wife told him to drive home carefully. They then put the scratch-off in a safe spot at home but kept checking it one or more times a day!
What to do with the prize? “For the Kids” said a meeting with a financial planner is in the family’s future. Some of the prize will go toward college tuition for the two children and for replacing a lost diamond in the wife’s wedding ring, visiting relatives in Italy and enjoying two celebrations. They planned to stop at a casino on the way home from the Lottery to enjoy a drink and play the slot machines for an hour. They will also enjoy a family dinner out to celebrate.
For selling a $1 million top-prize winning scratch-off, 7-Eleven #11575 in Montgomery County picks up a bonus of $1,000 from the Lottery. The bonus for the lucky store, which is located at 18120 Georgia Avenue, is equal to 1 percent of the prize.