BALTIMORE, MD—A merchant marine from Brooklyn, New York, received the surprise of a lifetime this week after a Maryland Lottery scratch-off ticket he bought in Baltimore turned out to be a $1 million winner.
The anonymous winner, a lifelong lottery player whose commercial assignments recently brought him to the Port of Baltimore, claimed his top prize on the Lucky 777 scratch-off game at Maryland Lottery headquarters on Monday, July 21.
The mariner described his past lottery wins as small, “nothing close to this potentially life-changing amount.” He said he finds playing the lottery “entertaining,” and winning provides “an adrenaline rush.”
His path to becoming a millionaire began after an early finish to his work day. He stopped at the 7-Eleven located at 1465 Key Highway in Baltimore’s Locust Point neighborhood, a routine stop where he purchased five $20 Lucky 777 scratch-off tickets.
After scratching off the QR codes to check his prizes, he asked the store clerk to scan the tickets.
“They told me I won $100,000,” he recounted. “I was satisfied with that and left.”
However, later that evening, he showed the ticket to his crew, who encouraged him to scratch the entire play area. That’s when the true value of his prize was revealed.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said, still in disbelief. “I was floored. For the first time in my life, I was speechless. Turns out the ticket was worth $1 million.”
The lucky winner has only shared the news with a few close family members and his crew. Despite the significant windfall, he plans to maintain a practical approach to his finances.
“I plan to keep working,” he stated. “I want to be smart with it and save as much as I can for retirement.”
His lottery playing days are far from over; he indicated he planned to purchase Mega Millions tickets after leaving Lottery headquarters. The annuity jackpot for Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing was an estimated $110 million.
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