This Baltimore woman is $50,000 richer after trying her luck at a Baltimore County grocery.
Claims top prize on Lucky Riches scratch-off
“Goofy Ruthie” entered the Lottery Winner’s Circle with a great big grin, happy to share her joke-filled story about winning $50,000 worth of Lottery loot while her husband loaded groceries into their car.
The longtime Lottery fan from Baltimore often had a scratch-off in her purse while her three children were growing up, said a daughter who accompanied her mom to claim the prize. Her mother always stuffs the holiday stockings of adults with scratch-offs, the daughter said. But it had been awhile since she had seen her mom with a scratch-off. “Goofy Ruthie’s” pause in playing Lottery games ended with a cascade of lucky riches.
“We do all of our grocery shopping at the Giant and my husband was putting the groceries in the car,” she said, smiling from ear to ear. “I snuck back in and got one ticket.”
She bought a $5 Lucky Riches instant ticket at the Lottery vending machine in Giant #108 in Baltimore. The 80-something player revealed the game’s prize check area and took the scratch-off to the Customer Service Center. She asked the store clerk to quickly scan the scratch-off for a prize.
“She came away from her counter to me and said I won. I thought it was $5,000,” the winner recalled. When she returned to the car, she explained to her waiting husband that she had bought a scratch-off and won. “I told him it was $5,000.”
Unsure if that prize amount was correct, they took the $5 instant ticket to another store. “They told me it was $50,000,” said “Goofy Ruthie.”
The happy winner plans to share some of the funds with her adult children. As for her husband, “he said he didn’t want anything,” “Goofy Ruthie said.
Her lucky Giant #108 at 6340 York Road in Baltimore is getting something, too. For selling a $50,000 top-prize winning scratch-off, the Baltimore County business will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery. The Lucky Riches game went on sale Feb. 20 with eight top prizes; two remain. Also up for grabs are more than 295,000 prizes ranging from $5 to $1,000.
