This Owings Mills grandfather of six and his wife are celebrating his $88,000 top-prize win.
Retiree plans to share the wealth with family
All it took was one Electric 8s instant ticket to make “Jerry” of Baltimore County $88,000 richer. The retiree, who is a fan of Pick 3, Pick 4 and scratch-offs, added the $10 instant ticket to his Lottery purchase recently with a shocking result.
“I’ve won but not with this ticket,” said the Owings Mills resident. “He’s lucky with things like this,” noted his wife, who accompanied him to Lottery headquarters in Baltimore to claim the prize.
“Jerry,” who has won smaller prizes on other scratch-offs, said the Electric 8s instant ticket caught his eye at Lakeside Liquors. Being retired, the Baltimore County father of three adult children watches his expenses and said he follows a budget for his Lottery hobby. He often puts any small prizes he wins toward the purchase of other games. On the day Lottery luck came his way, “Jerry” was ready to buy tickets for Pick 3 and Pick 4 when he spotted the Electric 8s scratch-off sitting in dispenser bin number 5.
“I said, ‘Give me number 5’ and that was the winner,” he recalled, smiling at the memory as he sat in the Lottery Winner’s Circle. Following his routine, “Jerry” didn’t scratch the ticket at the store. “He came home and scratched it off,” his wife explained. Because it was a new game to them, they weren’t sure initially if he won. “I said, ‘Let me read it and see how you play it.’”
They realized “Jerry” matched one of his numbers with a winning number and might have captured the game’s $88,000 top prize. Although his adult son had loaded the Maryland Lottery app on his phone, “Jerry” decided to follow his wife’s suggestion and return to Lakeside Liquors in Owings Mills to scan the scratch-off. He did so and when the scanner reported the $88,000 prize, “Jerry” acted quickly. “I stuck the ticket right back in my pocket,” he said.
The grandfather of six said he plans to share his prize with his wife and extended family and also donate to their church. Also a winner is Lakeside Liquors located at 9229 Lakeside Boulevard. The Lottery retailer will receive a bonus of $880, equal to 1% of the prize, for selling a top-prize winning scratch-off.
The Electric 8s game went on sale in November 2023 and has five of its eight top prizes remaining. Also unclaimed are 16 $10,000 prizes as well as others ranging from $10 to $1,000.
