BALTIMORE, MD—It’s been a pretty lucky week for one Baltimore County man. A fan of scratch-offs, he won prizes on three instant tickets on his way home from work late Wednesday afternoon. One of the three prizes turned him into a millionaire.
The Catonsville resident left work and stopped at a liquor store for some scratch-off fun. He purchased a few games and was thrilled to win $500 on one of them. After scanning the instant ticket, he presented it to the cashier. When that business could not cash the winning scratch-off, the lucky player simply went next door to the 40 West Shell gas station, located at 700 North Rolling Road, where he claimed his $500 prize.
Feeling excited, the scratch-off fan purchased two more games, including a $20 Hot 777 instant ticket. He played them both in the store. One game delivered a $50 prize and, to his astonishment, the Hot 777 game produced a whopping $1 million windfall.
“I was really in shock,” said the winner. “I mean, this is truly a miracle.”
The father of four adult children immediately put his $1 million winning instant ticket away and raced home. He called one of his daughters to share the good news, but waited to tell his wife in person.
“When she came home, I was there, serious, on the couch and I told her to sit down because I needed to tell her something,” he said, smiling.
“I honestly thought there was a death in the family, the way he looked,” said the winner’s wife. She accompanied her husband to claim the big prize. “And when he said he won $1 million, I just got so emotional.”
The shocked wife told Maryland Lottery officials that the win, “could not have happened to a better guy.”
The couple, who are also grandparents, explained how life has been a struggle for many over the years and their plan is to use the winnings to help their children.
“We can sleep at night knowing that we can leave our children a legacy and not baggage,” they said.
The couple also let out a sigh of relief, explaining how good it feels that they can pay off their bills, too. The rest of the winnings will go into a savings account.
