Winning the Cash4Life prize is life-changing, said this royal pair from Cecil County.
Ticket purchased in Chesapeake City marks Maryland’s fourth Cash4Life top-tier win
“It’s really real now,” said the elated “Queen” in a hushed tone to her “King” as the pair stood in the Maryland Lottery Winner’s Circle. The reality of winning $1,000 a day for life in the Cash4Life game finally sank in after they filed paperwork to claim the life-changing prize, shared the story of the big win with Lottery officials and posed for photos with a giant check, all smiles.
The jubilant “Cash4Life King and Queen!” from Cecil County, whose royal family includes four adult children and more than a dozen grandchildren and great-grandchildren, claimed the top-tier winning ticket from the Aug. 29 Cash4Life drawing on Sept. 1. The prize gives winners the choice of annual payments of $365,000 or a cash option of $7 million (both before taxes). The “King and Queen” chose the cash option.
The “King,” who won the daily drawing with a quick-pick ticket, is the fourth Marylander to claim a Cash4Life top-tier prize since the Maryland Lottery joined the multi-state game in 2016.
The semi-retired warehouse worker described himself as a loyal Cash4Life player who buys tickets regularly. “He’s an avid player,” noted the “Queen.” This was his second trip to the Lottery Winner’s Circle, having won a $50,000 Bonus Match 5 top prize “quite a while ago,” he said.
The “King” was homeward bound from his job in Delaware when he stopped at Eagles Nest in Chesapeake City to buy a few Cash4Life tickets. A night owl, the “King” woke up around 2 a.m. to check the winning numbers and had an electrifying sight on one of his tickets.
“I was like, ‘No, no, no, no, no, oh I’m not sure, maybe I won?’”
He shook his wife awake to help him confirm the win. Both were filled with disbelief as they checked the ticket on their phones over and over again, using the Lottery mobile app. They’ve only told a few family members about the win, but the “King,” who stayed up the rest of the night and went into work as usual, shared news of his good fortune with his co-workers. “I couldn’t hold it back,” he said.
Describing the prize as a blessing, the “King” and his already retired “Queen” have big plans for a happy future. He will pay off all of his bills, help a daughter open a family daycare to benefit the community and put the bulk into savings.
“Now we can retire comfortably with no debt,” he said, smiling.
Also a winner is his lucky Cecil County Lottery retailer. For selling the top-tier Cash4Life ticket, Eagles Nest located at 2754 Augustine Herman Highway earns a $7,500 bonus from the Lottery.
