Hot score expands possibilities for upcoming wedding
A Maryland Lottery enthusiast from Charles County who usually plays instant tickets in the $2 to $5 range switched up her game and found success. She bought a $20 Money Explosion scratch-off and won a $50,000 second-tier prize.
Although surprised by the big win, the bride-to-be said her fiancé was even more shocked. She claimed her prize Jan. 20 at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore.
The 56-year-old told Lottery officials she was en route to work on the day of her lucky purchase. She stopped for coffee at 7-Eleven #38540, located at 6620 Walker Mill Road in Capitol Heights, and that’s when the urge struck to buy a $20 instant ticket.
“I said, ‘Let me try it.’” She put the Money Explosion scratch-off away, went to work and didn’t give the game another thought until she returned home and was relaxing with her fiancé. The loyal player pulled out the instant ticket and started scratching it, with him grumbling comments such as, “You’re throwing your money away” and “You could have put that toward your electric bill.”
The winner recalls telling him, “My electric bill is paid.”
She ignored his comments and continued scratching off the game, only to reveal a square that said she won $1,000. Determined to see if the game held an even bigger prize, the player continued scratching. “Then, I looked at it again, and said, ‘Oh my God!’ ”
The scratch-off fan showed the game to her fiancé and even double-checked the instant ticket to prove to him it won $50,000.
The extra money will come in handy, she said, because they plan to wed in coming months. Initially they talked about a destination wedding, possibly in Jamaica, and the Lottery prize expands their wedding site possibilities. “We’re going to splurge a little on the wedding,” she said.
The $20 Money Explosion game still has four unclaimed $1 million top prizes, another five $50,000 prizes and 64 unclaimed $10,000 prizes. The game went on sale in July 2021 and has 32 chances to win.
