Laurel Man To Launch Business With $50K Winning Lottery Ticket

LAUREL, MD — A $50,000 lottery win means Laurel resident Ramiro Polanco Mendez will be starting the business of his dreams.

The Howard County resident won $50,000 on a Mega Bucks scratch-off. While out for his regular walk, Ramiro stopped at the Exxon at 801 Washington Boulevard in Laurel to purchase some tickets, including two $10 Mega Bucks tickets. The first one he scratched was not a winner, but the second ticket left him surprised, lottery officials said.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” the big winner told lottery officials. “I had to scan it to be sure.”

The scanner revealed a $50,000-winning congratulatory message. Not the $100,000 top prize on the game, but good enough to make some major changes in his life, he said.

Mega Bucks is a $10 scratch-off that debuted in November 2024. Six of the ticket’s nine $100,000 top prizes are still available and after Ramiro’s win, there are four of the $50,000 second-tier prizes remaining. Also, still up for grabs are 15 $10,000 prizes and thousands of prizes ranging from $10 to $1,000.