$1M Winning Lotto Ticket Holder Plans To Pay Off Loans

HYATTSVILLE, MD — A Hyattsville retailer sold a winning $1 million scratch-off ticket to a Washington, D.C., man who couldn't believe how many zeros he was seeing when he checked it.

The man was scanning his ticket at Chillum Wine & Spirits, 5813 Eastern Ave. in Hyattsville, and couldn’t believe the message the scanner showed, he told lottery officials when he claimed his winnings.

“It looked like three zeros and then I saw three more zeros,” the retired police officer said.

He didn’t have his glasses with him, so he asked a friend at the store to check the ticket.

“He said, ‘Hey man, that is a lot of zeros,’” the winner recalled his friend saying.

The retired police officer told lottery officials he plans to use his prize money to pay off his car and house. Then he wants to help out his daughter and grandchildren.

For selling the top prize-winning ticket, the Prince George’s County retailer receives a $1,000 bonus.

The $1,000,000 Crossword scratch-off is a $25 ticket that went on sale starting in February. The game started with four $1 million top prizes and the District player is the second person to claim a top prize, leaving two $1,000,000 in unclaimed winnings. Eight of the 10 second-tier $100,000 prizes also remain unclaimed, along with tens of thousands of other prizes ranging from $25 to $20,000.