Claim $30,000 Prize on Maryland Lottery I Heart Crossword Instant Ticket
A Montgomery County couple who thought they’d won $100 on a Maryland Lottery scratch-off learned, after a quick phone call to Lottery headquarters, that they were several zeros shy of the correct amount.
Instead of $100, try $30,000!
That news cleared up confusion over why the retailer couldn’t cash the I Heart Crossword ticket, the husband said. Had he known the ticket’s true value, he said, he might have kept it in a safe place. “I thought it was only worth $100,” he said. “I had it in my pocket.”
The husband, who works in public service, bought two of the $3 crossword scratch-offs at the Food Lion at 883 Russell Ave. in Gaithersburg. The loyal scratch-off players each have favorite types of instant tickets and she prefers the crossword variety. He also plays Mega Millions and Powerball. “I like to scratch while I watch TV,” she said. The health-care worker scratched off the first ticket and won $10. Winning what they thought was $100 on the second ticket made for a happy evening.
They plan to save their prize for their young daughter’s college fund. The two claimed the first $30,000 top prize on the ticket, which launched Feb. 24. Many prize-winning tickets remain in Maryland stores awaiting discovery, including two with $30,000 prizes and nine with $5,000 second-tier prizes.