Columbia woman finds second-tier prize on $10 game
A casual Maryland Lottery player from Columbia whose husband is a good deal more involved got the better end of the deal when he purchased a $10 Six Figures scratch-off for her enjoyment. She won $50,000.
“It’s a pure fluke. He usually buys tickets,” the winner said on Jan. 30 while claiming the prize at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. On this occasion, however, she asked him to pick up a scratch-off for her when he bought his instant tickets.
The dutiful husband obliged. When he visited Harris Teeter #322 at 8620 Guilford Road in Columbia, the husband bought the Six Figures game and gave it to his wife of 30 years, saying, “Here, scratch this off.”
She did and realized she won! On first glance, the wife was skeptical about her win of what she thought was $10,000. Her husband pointed out there was a multiplier on the square where she matched a winning number, bringing the total to $50,000. To confirm the prize, the husband took the scratch-off to a Lottery retailer and got a printout stating the $50,000 amount. He put the printout and scratch-off in an envelope marked “Open me.”
The wife did, and realization of the win set in. “It was a tremendous shock,” she said. Once the shock wears off, the Howard County residents say they will decide what to do with the prize. “We share everything anyway,” she explained.
The Six Figures game went on sale Dec. 29 with eight $100,000 top prizes. There are six top prizes remaining, along with seven unclaimed $50,000 prizes and others ranging from $10 to $10,000.
