The US Navy retiree - who opted not to provide his name - from Glen Burnie was out having a beer at an area bar when he had an unexpected inkling when the number 43 popped into his mind out of the blue, according to Lottery officials.
He says that when he bought a $20 “Show Me $1,000,000!” instant ticket, that the number would play out for him. Sure enough, his curiously-timed thought earned him a top-prize winner.
The veteran Maryland Lottery player said that he felt so lucky that on his way back from the bar, he stopped at 7-Eleven on Donaldson Avenue in Severn, where he cashed in a $120 previous winning instant ticket, and purchased multiple “Show Me $1,000,000!” scratchers.
Despite the odds, the Glen Burnie resident said that he knew that the number 43 was going to come up big, though even he couldn’t have predicted it leading to the grand prize.
Officials said that “even as he was playing the instant tickets, the scratch-off fan said he knew the number 43 was coming to give him a win,” and on one of the tickets, there was a big 43 with a $1 million prize beneath it.
“I flipped out, I was dumbfounded, I couldn’t believe it,” he said, advising that he has shared the news of his big win with friends and family, but the new millionaire doesn’t know yet what he’s going to do with his seven-figure prize.
The 7-Eleven where the winning ticket was sold will also see a fresh influx of cash, as it will receive a $1,000 bonus from Maryland Lottery for selling the top-prize winning scratch-off ticket.
There are still three $1 million top prizes remaining, three unclaimed $50,000 prizes, and 54 $10,000 prizes.
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