"Pick a card and stay consistent," a sage Maryland Lottery player expressed to his 43-year-old friend in Prince George's County.
Advice that led to a $50,000 windfall.
The lotto player - who chose to remain anonymous - has been playing the $5 "Gold Bar Bingo" scratcher since it was launched two weeks ago, and was the fortuitous winner of a five-figure payout, marking the first grand prize that has been claimed since the game's debut.
Lottery officials said on Tuesday, Aug. 1 that the man has been a regular player of "Gold Bar Bingo," winning small prizes until he cashed in big on a ticket sold at T&T Liquors in Bowie.
Last week, the logistics operations manager won $20 playing his favorite game, which he re-invested into four tickets.
On Monday, he said that he stopped back at the liquor store to check on several games he had previously played. The first was a dud. The second two made him his money back.
The fourth net him a measly $50,000, which left both him, and his wife, stunned when he called her from the car to let her know what had just happened.
“I told her I hit and she thought I was playing,” he told Lottery officials. “I told her I wasn’t playing about this.”
Once he caught his breath, he went back into the store and had the cashier scan the scratch-off, which confirmed that he was a winner and she handed a slip to bring to Maryland Lottery Headquarters in Baltimore, where he marveled at his good fortune.
"I never thought I would win this much money."
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