Loyal scratch-off player plans home improvements after big Lottery win
A maintenance worker who has enjoyed playing Maryland Lottery scratch-off games regularly for years got the surprise of a lifetime last weekend when he won a $50,000 top prize on the You Win ticket.
The Gaithersburg resident had purchased a few instant tickets earlier in the day but didn’t find any winners. Later, he visited Quick Convenient Mart in Gaithersburg and decided to buy one more ticket for the day – a $5 You Win game. He took it home and was by himself when he scratched it and revealed his $50,000 prize.
“I’ve won $50 or $100 before, and I won $500 about three months ago, but I’ve never won anything this big,” he said. The 59-year-old told his wife the good news that night. “She said, ‘I don’t believe it – you’re lying!’ And when I showed her it was true she said, ‘Don’t tell anybody!’ ”
Indeed, the lucky winner hadn’t even shared the news with his youngest son, who accompanied him to Lottery headquarters to claim the prize.
“I thought it was $10,000,” said the winner’s son. “I didn’t find out it was $50,000 until we got here.”
The loyal scratch-off player from Montgomery County said he planned to use some of the prize money to pay for home improvements and put the rest into savings. Quick Convenient Mart, located at 8441 A Snouffer School Road in Gaithersburg, is a winner a well. The retailer will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling the top-prize ticket.
The You Win game launched in August, and four of its $50,000 top prizes are still unclaimed, along with 15 $5,000 prizes and thousands of additional prizes ranging from $5 to $1,000.