$2M Scratch-Off Ticket Win Allows Grocery Store Worker To Retire, Travel

LAUREL, MD — A Laurel woman has won $2 million playing the Diamonds and Gold scratch-off ticket.

The avid reader, who used the alias Book Worm when claiming her prize at Maryland Lottery headquarters Monday, won the first of two $2 million top prizes on the scratch-off ticket.

The Washington, D.C., native who has called Laurel home for the past five years enjoys spending time with her sister at book club events and playing Maryland Lottery games. She regularly buys scratch-offs along with Pick 3 and Pick 4 tickets, making weekly visits to the 7-Eleven at 14001 Baltimore Avenue in Laurel for her ticket purchases.

“I knew then it was a winner. I didn’t know how much,” she said after scanning the winning ticket’s prize check code.

She took the ticket to the clerk, who confirmed it was worth $2 million. Overcome with emotion, the Laurel resident got into her car where she realized she was too shaken up to drive. Instead, she immediately called the person she knew would share the moment with her - her sister.

The sisters, who are less than 18 months apart, have always been close.

“Are you sure?” her sister recalled asking, still struggling to believe the news. She accompanied her sister to lottery headquarters to claim the prize. But first, she spent a month strategizing what to do with her winnings.

She created a budget, planned which bills to pay off and finally decided to retire from her job at a local grocery store.

“Paris has always been on my bucket list,” said the winner, who plans to spend several weeks vacationing in Europe.

The Laurel 7-Eleven that sold the winning ticket will receive a $2,000 bonus from the Maryland Lottery for selling a top-prize winning scratch-off. This win is the first $2 million top prize claimed on Diamonds & Gold scratch-off since its launch in April, which leaves one top prize unclaimed. There are three $50,000 second-tier prizes remaining.