‘Stunned’ lottery player keeps scanning ticket ‘again and again.’ But big win was real
A loyal Maryland lottery player has a routine when he buys tickets.
He refuses to scratch them in the store, Maryland Lottery officials said in a Dec. 11 news release.
“I take my tickets home and put them in the drawer,” the man told lottery officials.
So when he bought a Holiday Luck Doubler from a Dundalk store, he patiently waited to scratch it.
Then, when he finally did, he was “stunned” by the prize.
“I scanned it five times with my phone,” he said.
But “the message came back the same again and again,” lottery officials said.
The man won $50,000, the game’s top prize, according to lottery officials.
While he has won a number of lottery prizes over the years, this was the man’s first big win, lottery officials said.
“I always thought I would be in this room eventually,” the man said while claiming his prize at lottery headquarters in Baltimore.
The lucky winner said he plans to keep his win to himself, only sharing the news with his significant other, lottery officials said.
He told lottery officials she plans to use his winnings to pay bills and celebrate the holidays.
The Holiday Luck Doubler, which started being sold in October, still has four top prizes remaining.
Dundalk is about a 10-mile drive southeast from Baltimore.
This story was originally published December 12, 2024 at 11:29 AM with the headline "‘Stunned’ lottery player keeps scanning ticket ‘again and again.’ But big win was real."
