“Christina” of Baltimore County found a $50,000 winning scratch-off at an area grocery store.
Baltimore County woman claims $50,000 top prize on $50,000 Cash game
“Christina” of Baltimore County visits her local grocery store for more than just produce and canned goods. For the second time in about three years, the scratch-off fan won a five-figure prize on a game bought at her favorite Lottery retailer.
The $20 $50,000 Cash game revealed its 34th top prize on the ticket she bought at Food Lion #2560 in Baltimore. “Christina,” which is the nickname she is using to tell her winning story, said she uses her personal lucky scratcher to remove the latex from the prize check areas on her tickets. She doesn’t usually play the games.
“I’m a scratch and scan player,” she said. “I want to know sooner than later if I won.”
On the day she found her lucky win, “Christina” bought four $50,000 Cash scratch-offs at the grocery. She stayed, as she usually does, to scratch the prize check areas and scan the tickets using the store’s ticket checker. The first three games yielded no prizes but she saw an unusual message appear when she scanned the fourth scratch-off.
Calling over to one of the store clerks, “Christina” asked what it meant if she saw the message to take the instant ticket to the Lottery. She asked the clerk to check for the prize amount and gave her the ticket.
“She looked at me and she started crying,” “Christina” said. “And I go to crying and she said, ‘You won $50,000.’”
At that point, other store employees who know her came over to see what was wrong and their concern changed to celebration.
“I was dumbfounded,” Christina said, adding that the employees urged her to be careful and take the scratch-off straight home and keep it safe. “I was shook up so I went outside and sat in my truck and then drove home.”
Her husband misunderstood when she showed him the winning ticket and thought her prize was $5,000. The retired mother of two, grandmother of six and great-grandmother of one previously won $10,000 at the Food Lion several years ago and assured him that he was missing a zero on the prize amount.
The grateful winner said the prize will go toward bills, home improvements, and perhaps something for her new great-grandchild. Her lucky grocery located at 7414 North Point Road in Baltimore also benefits, earning a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling a $50,000 top-prize winning scratch-off.
