Gas station clerk gives lottery player hug over ‘very exciting’ Maryland win
A retired government worker won a big prize from a lottery scratch-off game, and the whole store celebrated with her, lottery officials said.
The lucky player matched five winning numbers in the Ice game to win $50,000, the Maryland Lottery said in a May 2 news release.
When she had the cashier check her ticket, the store clerk came out and gave her a hug to celebrate the win, lottery officials said. Other people in the store followed, coming up to her to congratulate her.
“It was very exciting inside the store,” the lottery player told officials.
The woman, who said she has several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, told lottery officials she plans to put her winnings toward her family.
She purchased her ticket for $10 at a gas station in Forest Hill, about a 30-mile drive northeast from Baltimore, lottery officials said.
The odds of winning in the Ice game are 1 in 3.38, according to the game’s web page.
This is the first of eight $50,000 prizes to be claimed in the game, which began April 21, the lottery said. Five of six top prizes, worth $100,000, also remain.
This story was originally published May 2, 2025 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Gas station clerk gives lottery player hug over ‘very exciting’ Maryland win."
