Scratch-Off Sparks Big Win For Crownsville Electrician

CROWNSVILLE, MD — A stop at a Crownsville convenience store for a cold drink delivered quite a shock – the good kind of shock – to a 62-year-old Anne Arundel County electrician on Sunday.

The $3 in change he received from the transaction at the Herald Harbor Inn and Mini-Mart inspired his $3 purchase of the Maryland Lottery’s Treasure Island instant ticket, which hit retailer shelves in late December. The luck he’s enjoyed with the Treasure Island game in recent weeks made his choice an easy one, but in no way prepared him for the $30,000 top prize he was about to discover.

“I only play scratch-offs because I don’t want to mess with the luck I’ve had with them over the years,” the husband and father told Lottery officials. “That’s been my technique since I won $10,000 on one 10 years ago.”

Scratching his ticket in his car – another superstition he follows in hopes of attracting Lottery luck – he was stunned by what he saw. “I actually said out loud, ‘This can’t be happening.’ ” The doubt he felt as he went over the Treasure Island instant ticket again and again was relieved when he returned to the store and received official confirmation of his big win.

The Crownsville resident said this scratch-off win is a timely one for his family. “We hoped to visit my daughter in the Midwest in a few months,” he said. “This prize will make the trip much easier for us.”

Herald Harbor Inn and Mini-Mart at 400 Herald Harbor Road in Crownsville sold the top-prize scratch-off in the game, and will receive a bonus of $300 from the Lottery.

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