$1M Winning Lotto Ticket Leads To Dreams Of A New House For Aberdeen Couple

ABERDEEN, MD — A couple from Aberdeen are the newest millionaires in Maryland and plan to use their winnings to buy a new home.

The couple bought a Gold Rush 777 scratch-off ticket at the Wawa in Aberdeen and still are in shock.

“I still don’t believe it,” the wife told Maryland lottery officials Nov. 22 after claiming the top prize on the $20 scratch-off game.

More than 30 years ago when they first started dating, she introduced her husband to the fun of playing scratch-off games, she said.

“Every once in a while, he says, ‘Let’s get a scratch-off,’” she said in a lottery news release.

So they did.

He scratched off the instant ticket and saw the winning number 18 matched 18 in a square with a $1 million prize. Then, he scanned the prize check area with the Maryland Lottery app on his phone.

“He said, ‘Mama, it’s a million-dollar winner.’ I didn’t believe it,” she said.

The wife checked the scratch-off herself using her phone, saw the same message and couldn't believe it. She claimed the prize, but the two are talking about buying a house either in western Maryland where the husband is from, or possibly in Pennsylvania. Some of the winnings will square up finances and help family members out.

The winner bought the instant ticket at the Wawa convenience store at 231 North Philadelphia Boulevard in Aberdeen. The store receives a lottery bonus of $1,000 for selling the top-prize winning scratch-off.