Gaithersburg Couple Celebrates $100,000 Monopoly Prize

GAITHERSBURG, MD — When a Gaithersburg resident realized he won a $100,000 top prize on the $10 Monopoly scratch-off, the first person he wanted to tell was his wife. However, even though they were only a few feet apart, he faced a slight delay in delivering the amazing news.

The couple, who have been married 21 years, were visiting Lakeside Beer & Wine in Gaithersburg on Oct. 3 when the husband purchased the lucky scratch-off. Upon realizing that he was holding a $100,000 winner, the 52-year-old called to his wife to come and look at the ticket. That’s the moment when a bit of comedy ensued.

“He said, ‘Get over here right now,’ ” the wife told Maryland Lottery officials, adding that she couldn’t immediately walk over to where he was standing because she was in the middle of buying an instant ticket from the store’s scratch-off vending machine.

“I was putting five singles in the machine and I had only put $4 in. I told him, ‘I’ve got money in the machine,’” she said with a laugh. “He kept saying, ‘Get over here.’ ”

When she arrived, he had a bit of fun before revealing the prize. “I had my finger over the $100,000 and I asked her, ‘What do you see?’ ” he said.

She realized he had matched one of the winning numbers on the ticket and the corresponding prize was $100,000. “That can’t be right!” she said.

The lucky winner, a government employee who nicknamed himself “Bettin’ the Farm,” said he enjoys playing a variety of Lottery games. The Montgomery County man’s largest previous win was $1,500. The couple plans to use their $100,000 prize to pay a few bills and will save the rest until they decide what to do with it.

»Photo from Maryland Lottery: A Gaithersburg winner who nicknamed himself “Bettin’ the Farm” won $100,000 on the Monopoly scratch-off.