Several employees of a Middle River restaurant turned to Maryland Lottery games last week to blow off steam after a long shift.
Among them was lucky Jeffrey Stone of Aberdeen.
The waiter and his co-workers each picked out scratch-offs from a nearby instant ticket vending machine in hopes to win enough to buy one or two more games.
They all won a little, Jeffrey said. He won a lot.
“After a while it was just two of us left,” said the 42-year-old. “My friend chose a $10 ticket and, because I had a $20 bill, I picked 100x The Cash.”
When Jeffrey uncovered the $50,000 prize his ticket had waiting for him, he was shocked. “I leaned over with my hands on my knees and started breathing deeply, trying to comprehend what had happened.”
When he regained his composure, the father of three – soon to be four – called home to share his joy with his wife. “There was no answer, she just wouldn’t pick up,” he said. “It was 2 a.m. by then, of course.”
Too full of energy after his big win to go to sleep, Jeffrey stopped in at Hollywood Casino Perryville in Cecil County. “I was bursting, but it was so late that I didn’t want to wake the family,” said the happy dad. “I won cash there, too.”
When his wife finally called him, he found himself yelling into the phone. “She was yelling right back, but sort of in a whisper so as not to wake the house. It was a fun conversation.”
With his family soon to expand, Jeffrey and his wife will find good use for their $50,000 prize. Said the winner, “It’s just been wonderful. Everyone at work is happy for me, especially my friend who was there with me at the end. I am a lucky guy.”
Jeffrey’s found him at the Crazy Tuna Bar & Grille at 203 Nanticoke Road in Essex. His ticket of choice, 100x the Cash, has revealed four of its six $1 million top prizes. Two more $50,000 prizes – the very one that ended Jeffrey’s long day with a flourish last week – remain available.
