Montgomery County mom will add prize to teens’ college funds
A teacher from Gaithersburg often buys Maryland Lottery scratch-offs as gifts but until this weekend, had never scratched one off herself. When she did, the novice won $50,000.
The mom and her teens, ages 14 and 16, found Lottery luck when they stopped for fried chicken at Royal Farms #190 in Churchton. While waiting, they noticed the Maryland Lottery vending machine and the teens suggested buy some instant tickets.
The Montgomery County resident bought three $5 scratch-offs, including a Diamond Mine X9 game. She tried to scratch the latex off with a nickel but found a quarter worked better. Her eagle-eyed son noticed two diamonds appear for a prize of $1,500 and said, “Mom, I think you just won.” She kept scratching. Ultimately, she revealed 11 diamonds.
The lucky lady knew she won, but wasn’t sure exactly how much. She asked the clerk at the store how to claim her prize. “She said, ‘Hand me your ticket and we’ll cash you out.’ But then, she scanned the ticket and turned white as a ghost.”
“Do you know how much this ticket is for?” the clerk asked.
The son replied, “It’s for $50,000, isn’t it?”
And it was.
They called her husband to inform him of the big win.
“Of course I didn’t believe them,” he said, having accompanied his wife to Lottery headquarters to help her claim the prize.
“I called work to let them know I wouldn’t be coming in because I had an appointment at the Lottery to claim a ticket, and they said that was the best Monday excuse they had ever heard,” she said. The winnings will go into college savings funds for her children, she said. The family also enjoyed crabs for a celebratory meal.
Also celebrating is the management of Royal Farms #190. The Anne Arundel County business located at 5573 Shady Side Road earns a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling a $50,000 top-prize winning scratch-off.
