Catonsville Scratch-Off Millionaire Has 3 Winning Tickets In 1 Night

CATONSVILLE, MD — A Maryland Lottery player in Catonsville is a millionaire thanks to a three scratch-off wins in one night. The man, who is a fan of scratch-offs, won prizes on three instant tickets on his way home from work late Wednesday afternoon.

The Baltimore County resident left work and stopped at a liquor store for some scratch-off tickets, a lottery news release said. He purchased a few games and won $500 on one of them. After scanning the instant ticket, he gave it to the cashier. When that business could not cash the winning scratch-off, the lucky player went next door to the 40 West Shell gas station, where he claimed his $500 prize.

The scratch-off fan purchased two more games, including a $20 Hot 777 instant ticket. He played them both in the store. One game delivered a $50 prize and, to his astonishment, the Hot 777 game produced a $1 million windfall.

“I was really in shock,” the winner told Lottery officials. “I mean, this is truly a miracle.”

The father of four adult children immediately put his $1 million winning instant ticket away and raced home. He called one of his daughters to share the good news, but waited to tell his wife in person.

“When she came home, I was there, serious, on the couch and I told her to sit down because I needed to tell her something,” he said.

“I honestly thought there was a death in the family, the way he looked,” the winner’s wife in the Lottery news release. She accompanied her husband to claim the big prize. “And when he said he won $1 million, I just got so emotional.”

The shocked wife told Lottery officials that the win, “could not have happened to a better guy.”

The couple, who are also grandparents, explained how life has been a struggle for many over the years and their plan is to use the winnings to help their children. “We can sleep at night knowing that we can leave our children a legacy and not baggage,” they said.

The couple also let out a sigh of relief, explaining how good it feels that they can pay off their bills, too. The rest of the winnings will go into a savings account.

For selling a $1 million top-prize winning scratch-off, 40 West Shell at 700 North Rolling Road in Catonsville earns a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery.

Winners of prizes larger than $25,000 must redeem their tickets at the Maryland Lottery Claims Center in Baltimore, which is open by appointment only. Prizes of up to $5,000 can be claimed at any of more than 400 Expanded Cashing Authority Program locations. All Maryland Lottery retailers are authorized to redeem tickets up to and including $600. More information is available on the How To Claim page of mdlottery.com.