“Winky” of Baltimore’s loyalty to the Money Drop scratch-off led to a $50,000 prize.
Warehouse worker wins $50,000 on Money Drop scratch-off
A Baltimore man who likes to remain loyal to specific scratch-offs prefers to focus his play on one instant ticket at a time. The $10 Money Drop scratch-off is his current game of choice and his loyalty paid off with a $50,000 second-tier prize.
The city resident, who is using the nickname “Winky” to share the story of his Lottery luck, said he often purchases games on his way to work. He bought two Money Drop instant tickets last week at Brooklyn Grocery in Baltimore and recalls seeing his scratch-offs were numbered 18 and 19. When he went back a few days later, he saw that Money Drop instant ticket number 20 was still available. Since no one purchased that scratch-off over the weekend, he had a good feeling about it.
“I said, ‘I need that ticket,’ ” recalled “Winky.”
After he purchases his instant tickets, the warehouse worker likes to scratch off all of his numbers and the winning numbers without looking at the prizes. None of his numbers matched with the winning numbers but he did notice an “autowin” symbol, which guarantees the prize amount in the play area directly beneath the symbol.
When he scratched away, he discovered he was a $50,000 winner.
“When I saw that $50,000, I didn’t believe it. I still don’t believe it,” “Winky” said with a huge smile.
The avid Ravens fan plans to use his prize to move and to purchase a new car. Most players like to use a scratcher or a coin to play their instant tickets, but “Winky” has a unique method that brings him Lottery luck. “I like to use the pencil from the store to scratch,” he said, referring to the Lottery pencils used to fill out playslips.
“Winky’s” favorite Lottery retailer in Baltimore, Brooklyn Grocery, is located at 3570 Hanover Street.
The Money Drop game went on sale Dec. 28, 2023. Five of eight top prizes of $100,000 are still unclaimed. “Winky” becomes the fourth $50,000 winner, leaving six second-tier prizes unclaimed along with others ranging from $10 to $10,000.
