He says luck seekers rubbed a hole in his jacket after finding out about his good fortune
With the winnings from a $50,000 Maryland Lottery Gold Bar Bingo scratch-off, an 84-year-old player from northern Harford County said he plans to “fix my teeth and pay my truck off.”
Tickled by the win, he said, “It was a pretty good return on a $5 investment.”
He bought the $5 instant ticket at Saubel’s Markets, located at 2902 Whiteford Road in Whiteford. Born and raised in Cumberland, the Lottery enthusiast says he has bought instant tickets of all kinds in his travels across the state from Western Maryland to Ocean City.
“I play the field. I like a variety,” he said, adding that he has won prizes of as much as $1,000 in the past. This $50,000 top prize is his biggest to date.
A retired bricklayer, the winner has worked on a few projects that folks from Harford County may well recognize, including Forest Lakes Elementary School in Forest Hill and the old Hechinger store, which was at the location of Kohl’s at the Festival at Bel Air shopping center.
The happy winner says he doesn’t expect to make any changes in his life because of the prize. He also joked that he needed to change jackets before making the trip to Baltimore to redeem his instant ticket. “The old one had a hole worn in it from people rubbing my arm for good luck!” he said.
A little luck also rubbed off on Saubel’s Markets, which picks up a $500 bonus for selling a top-prize winning scratch-off. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize.
The Gold Bar Bingo game went on sale in July 2021 and has two $50,000 top prizes remaining. Also unclaimed are six $10,000 prizes and four $5,000 prizes.
