$1 Million Lottery Win For Baltimore Bus Driver

BALTIMORE, MD — A Baltimore bus driver who won $1 million in the Racetrax scratch-off game plans to invest the winnings and share some of the windfall with his grandchildren.

The 61-year-old veteran is calling himself “Million Dollar Man” after winning a $1 million top prize on the Hot 777 scratch-off. He said he regularly plays Racetrax and scratch-offs on the weekend and started adding the Hot 777 game to his purchases when it went on sale in April.

The day he won his fortune started off on the wrong note for “Million Dollar Man.” After arriving at work, he realized he had left his phone at home. He also felt that something “out of the normal” would happen to him that day. On his way home to retrieve his phone, the driver stopped at Royal Farms on East Joppa Road in Baltimore to play his Lottery numbers.

After winning a small amount on his first purchase, he chose the $20 Hot 777 scratch-off because of its $1 million top prize. He scratched off the game and noticed he won, assuming the prize was $1,000 until he scanned the instant ticket and learned he'd won the top prize.

As a weekly player, the grandfather has won a few thousand dollars before, but this is the most he’s won at one time. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many zeros together,” he told Lottery officials.

When asked how he will spend his surprising fortune, “Million Dollar Man” said he will invest the prize in a high-yield savings account. He hopes to make other investments for his four grandchildren, too.

For selling the top-prize winning scratch-off, the Baltimore County store earns a bonus of $1,000 from the Lottery.

This is the second of the game’s $1 million top-prize winning instant tickets sold; four top prizes remain.